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Article By: DrProactive,RandyGilbert,ProducerofInsideSuccessRadio
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Safe Driving Tips for Your Teen from Timothy Smith
If a parent does not recognize the importance of their own teaching role to insure the safe driving habits of their children, they are right to fear the worst. Unfortunately, many parents feel that driver education programs ought to be enough to teach their teen how to handle a vehicle and the rules of the road.
Teenagers need at least 30 to 50 hours behind the wheel before they begin to understand the real dangers of the road and develop safe driving skills. In reality, our teenagers are only getting 1 to 6 hours behind the wheel of a car in driver's ed, in every state. That is barely enough time to understand the laws required to pass the driving test and handle the car in even the most basic traffic situations.
Parents have the ultimate responsibility to ensure their teens are properly educate with the skills and behaviors required to be safe and smart drivers. Timothy Smith, author of Crash Proof Your Kids, Make Your Teen a Safer, Smarter Driver believes "Either underestimating their role and lacking effective methods parents are failing to equip their teenagers with the skills to handle the single most dangerous thing they will ever do in their life and at their most risky age."
After a rash of fatal car crashes in his neighborhood, all of which involved mistakes by teen drivers, Smith, a father of three teenagers, realized it was time to get involved in helping his own teenagers develop safe driving skills. When he tried to find information on the subject of safe driving, he found there was very little useful information available to teens and parents to take them well beyond basic driver's ed.
Using the talents that made him an award-winning author, coupled with the concerns of a parent and training for race car driving, Smith created the Crashproof Plan. It is designed to be a step by step plan to significantly reduce teen car crashes. Following his blueprint to safe teenage driving gives teenagers the skills needed to survive on the roads today, and successfully deal with adverse driving situations
The following tips might just save your teens life:
Sit down and discuss with your teen all the dangers and issues involved: speeding, road rage, drinking, drugs, distractions, cell phones, passengers, curfews etc. The steps to learning how to drive are complex but signing a Crashproof Contract to outline the boundaries, penalties, and incentives involved for driving decisions will help them understand the process.
Get your teenager's participation in the process and agreement of creating a plan for them to take responsibility of the car. Doing so will help them understand this is about assisting them in handling the single most dangerous thing they will probably ever do.
It is important to always remain a positive role model. Your children learn from you, they will emulate the driving habits you have showed them long before it was even time for them to starting thinking about learning. You cannot expect your teenagers to get into the car, use their seat belts, and practice safe driving practices if they don't see you doing the same thing.
Drive within the speed limit, use your turn signals, be a courteous driver and never use a cell phone while driving. Remember, your children are watching you, learning from your behavior and imitating you.
Communicating with your children is key to them becoming safer and smarter drivers. Don't criticize your teen, but emphasize on the measures needed for safe driving. Always remain calm while your teen is driving, and focus on constructive methods to focus on their driving more efficiently. You do not want your teens to stop listening, so make your time together and your lessons positive, with specific goals for each driving lesson.
Use simple exercises that reinforce step by step safe driving habits. Get them behind the wheel in every type of driving condition and help them with the specific hardships they will face in each situation. Practice driving in all types of weather, drive in the dark, in the city and on the highway.
Get started with these proactive strategies excerpted from the Crashproof Plan to help your teens be safer, smarter drivers. You will sleep better at night knowing that you did your part in giving your children the skills they need to return home safely every time they take a drive.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
For more teen crash proofing ideas from Timothy C. Smith listen to his entire enlightening interview with Randy Gilbert host of The Inside Success Show for FREE!
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