There’s a lot you can do to help your teenager become a safe, skilled driver, prepared to avoid accidents and mishaps. Decision-making and judgment in driving situations are learned over time, through experience. Following are some tips from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that can help you keep your teen safe while he or she gains valuable driving experience.

Restrict night driving. Night driving requires more skill, and night driving for teens tends to be recreational. Even teens that usually follow the rules are more like to be distracted or encouraged to take risks at night.

Restrict passengers. Teenage passengers often distract beginning drivers and encourage risk-taking behavior. While teen night driving with teen passengers is particularly lethal, many fatal crashes occur during the day. The safest policy is to restrict teenage passengers, especially multiple teens, all the time.

Do Your Part
Driver education can help your teenager learn to operate a vehicle and learn the rules of the road, but it doesn’t produce safer drivers. Teens’ attitudes and decision-making are critical components of safe driving. Teens often think they’re immune to harm and, consequently, deliberately seek thrills like speeding. Experience and maturity are more likely to change these tendencies than is training or education. Following are some suggestions for getting your new driver off to a good start.

• Schedule regular, supervised practice driving. Supervised practice should continue even after teens have a full license. Beginners need time to work up to challengers like freeway driving and driving in heavy traffic. Plan sessions in a variety of situations, particularly night driving.
• Choose vehicles for safety. Teens should drive vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and that offer the best protection if they do crash. For example, trucks and sport-utility vehicles are more prone to roll over, and small cars don’t offer the best protection in a crash. Government crash test results are available on the Internet at www.nhtsa.gov.
• Pay attention. Don’t assume that because your teen buckles up when with you that he or she always buckles up when you’re not there. Seat belt use is lower among teenagers than among older people. Insist on it.
• Trust your instincts and common sense. Don’t let your teen drive at night or in bad weather if you don’t feel he or she is ready, no matter what other parents may do.