Driving Tips

Helping Teens be Safe Drivers

by Gary Anderson
 
Two years ago, Mercedes-Benz extended its influence on driving safety in the United States by adopting its own driving program established in London in 2009: The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy made its debut in Los Angeles in 2011.

At that time, The Star interviewed the new director, Carolyn Duchene (above), about her goals for the program. The Driving Academy was designed to work in conjunction with California Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) requirements, providing teens with both theory training in classroom and online, and extensive on-the-road driving practice, with training monitored by professionals.

Additionally, parents would play an integral role in their teen’s driving preparation, with classroom sessions and in-car participation specifically designed to help the parent provide effective supervised driving practice.

This past September, we talked to Duchene again, this time asking her what she would now say to parents of teen-agers just reaching driving age, based on her experience so far. She had some ready answers, noting that she and her coaches offer this advice frequently in programs for teens and their parents at regional high schools and Mercedes-Benz dealers.

Helping a teen become a safe driver requires good instruction and involvement of parents.

Duchene offered a number of tips that she would like all parents with teens nearing driving age (or other family members and friends of up-and-coming drivers) to take seriously.

Duchene’s first tip: Above all, take your teen’s driver education seriously. There are many competing demands on teen time and attention. All parents want their children to have the best possible preparation for college, career, and life. But because automobile crashes are still the No. 1 cause of teen deaths, parents’ concern should start with the best possible driver training; a traffic collision  can bring an abrupt and tragic end to all the careful preparation parents have provided for their teen.
Make safe driving a family concern. If parents are in the driver’s seat, they should be good role models, adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward distracted and reckless driving. Using cell phones for calls or texting while driving should be avoided at all times – and is illegal in many states. Leading by example is always a best practice to help new drivers.

Choose the best available driving school for the teen. Choose one with a reputation for using qualified instructors and for not rushing the training process. What is the driving school’s goal … to prepare the teen to pass a test or to be a safe and responsible driver for life? Look for a school that develops critical thinking and safety awareness by helping teens develop key decision-making skills, not just telling them what to do.

Encourage the teen to go through a Graduated Driver Licensing program rather than waiting until it isn’t required. Take a positive approach to the requirements for parental involvement. California and other states with GDL programs require that a licensed driver over the age of 25 must supervise the GDL driver for 50 hours of behind-the-wheel driving; this time should be carefully logged. However, parents and teens should understand that 50 supervised hours are only the beginning to becoming a safer independent driver. In fact, research shows that 120 hours of behind-the-wheel practice can reduce a new driver’s crash risk by as much as 40 percent.

Help your teen understand that GDL and legal restrictions targeted for teens are in place to protect, not punish them: They need to understand that night driving, driving with friends in the car, and using cell phones dramatically increase the likelihood of an automobile accident for young drivers.

Talk to your teen about his or her plans before taking the car out. Help them think about potential risk before they drive. Do they really need to drive? Discuss time and anticipate traffic and road conditions to ensure your young driver is not late and has ample time for travel and can maintain focus on the safest road decisions at all times.

Enforce a “right-to-say-no” policy – driving is a privilege, not a right. Make sure your teen is engaged, motivated and in the right frame of mind to operate a vehicle. If a teen’s state of mind is not focused on the task of driving, arrange an alternate mode of transportation to the event, and if that isn’t possible, she or he should stay home.

Encourage teens to speak out if they feel unsafe as a passenger when they’re riding with others. Make sure they understand that you will pick them up wherever and whenever they request it, with no recriminations or subsequent discussion. Let them know it’s okay to “spoil the fun” – making that one call just might save a life!

Make sure that everyone in the car buckles up. This is a simple rule that’s often overlooked in driving discussions. But the fact is that the majority of teens killed in car crashes are not wearing a seat-belt. It’s a simple step that can save lives.
Encourage your teen to take pride in his or her car and keep it properly maintained – encouraging inspection of other family vehicles will help drill in the drill. Have your young driver check tires, oil and warning lights regularly to ensure the vehicle she or he is driving is in shape to protect the occupants.

And finally, keep in mind that your teen is still developing both the ability to think critically and the mental and physical coordination required to be a good, safe driver. Just like playing an instrument or sport, only practice makes perfect. It takes thousands of miles of driving to develop the muscle memory and unconscious reactions required in a good driver. And those miles begin with a good driver-training program involving both parents and teens.