Young Driver Safety Tips: Shattered Phone Screen
How a Shattered Phone Screen Could Save Your Teen’s Life
Young driver safety tips from The Auto Professor, who is also a mother.
As parents, we worry. When our teens go out, we hold our breath until they’re home safely.
October 18 kicks off National Teen Driver Safety Week. And the perfect time to talk to your teen about car safety.
As a mother, I know it’s hard to get your kids’ attention. So let me suggest an approach that they will grasp immediately because it involves their prized possession.
Help them picture a shattered phone screen and then think about a shattered windshield of a car.
Protection vs. Responsibility
Packaging engineers design systems that protect phones during shipping, including a box, a hard plastic cradle, and cushioning material.
Most teens will then add a protective case. But even the best case won’t protect the phone from water, a tumble, or their siblings. Teens have to adopt responsible habits, too.
On the road, a teen’s vehicle is their personal protective case. However, even if your teen’s car has the most advanced safety features, statistics show that they’re still in danger.
But you can prepare your teen to spot risky situations – and take responsible actions.
Teen and Young Driver Safety Tips
The drivers of vehicles are the most likely to die in crashes. So, if your teen is driving, tell them to call you if they’ve been drinking or feel tired so that you can pick them up instead of their driving home impaired. You’d much rather rescue them at a party than visit them in the hospital.
And tell them to have fun, but remember, it’s their job to focus and get their friends home safely.
If your teen is the passenger, they can take action, too. If the driver has been drinking, tell your kids not to get in the car. If the driver is distracted, speeding, or there’s no seat belt, advise your kids to get out of the car safely and then call you for a pickup.
All these factors and driving older cars with fewer safety features put your teen at risk. In fact, if you have or are considering buying a car model in years 2016 to 2018, you’ll want to read this article about car safety and teen drivers.
They don’t have to become a statistic. Instead, discuss with your teen these young driver safety tips and let’s all have one less worry.
FAQs
Not every safe car is safe for your own teen driver. It depends on who they are in terms of age AND gender. Use our tool to check the safety of the car you have or are considering to buy for your teenager.
Remember that a new driver can be of any age, although they are typically teenagers. Do a check of the Auto Grade for your new driver’s age and gender on each car you are considering.
It all depends on the teenage driver themselves. Our top tier ratings may be different for a young woman than a young man. Auto Grades are based on actual accident statistics, so the results are sometimes surprising.
When insurance companies calculate premiums, the amount of risk each driver presents is what matters. In the case of teenagers, young drivers are inexperienced. This lack of experience means they get involved in more crashes and drunk driving incidents than older drivers. They do not have the same responsibilities as adults and their actions have far fewer consequences. As a result, insurers charge higher rates to make it worth their while.
Personalize It!
Want to find the safety rating of specific cars? How about the safety of your car for a teenage driver? We are here for you. Our easy to use Auto Grade search is free and easy to use. You will get an overall Auto Grade and if we have enough data for the year, make, and model, you can get a personal Auto Grade.
We want you to pick a car that is safest and best for you and your young driver.
