After raising your children and protecting them from all the dangers in their childhood, you’re now at a stage where you need to release them to the roads. Only this time, you won’t always be there to remind them to look out, pump the brakes, or even put on the seatbelt. Parenting teenagers comes with its challenges, but you need to be there for your children.

If your teen has recently earned their license and can’t wait to be on the road, you need to prepare them for what awaits them. Overall, you need to remind your teenager of the need to drive safely and be responsible for their actions.

Here are a few things you need to tell your new teenage driver.

Learn, Understand, and Embrace the Traffic Laws in Your State

Every state has traffic guidelines that your teen driver needs to adhere to. These laws talk about the dos and don’t in each road of the state and what to do in case of accidents. They also guide your teen driver to respond to different traffic signs and incidents on the road.

While parenting your teenagers, you need to ensure they are conversant with these laws before allowing them on the road. Remind them to always be careful on the road, and obey traffic officers and signals.

One statistic your teenager needs to familiarize with is that traffic accidents claim so many lives on US roads. Out of the 5.5 million road accidents in the country, 3 million are fatal and cause severe injuries and deaths. Remind your teenager to drive carefully, so they don’t become part of the statistics.

Don’t Drive Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

Teenage is an experimenting stage. Your teen might want to prove that they can handle themselves on the road. Sometimes, teens can pressure each other into engaging in dangerous behavior such as driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Not only is this behavior dangerous, but it is also against traffic rules.

Remind your teen that driving while intoxicated impairs their judgment on the road and can be the cause of accidents. Intoxication can push your teenager to overtake heavy vehicles carelessly and cause fatal accidents. The Illinois Secretary of State reported, that 11,835 of all road accidents in 2014 were caused by collisions with trucks and tractors. Most of these accidents are fatal.

Be Responsible For Your Actions on the Road

Part of parenting teenagers is teaching them how to be responsible for their actions on the road. Tell them that they are responsible for their safety and other road users.

The trick to being responsible is driving safely and sharing the road with other road users. No matter what car your teenager is driving, they need to know that it’s not a reason to be irresponsible.

Teenagers can be quite the show-off, especially on the roads. If your teen is driving a Mercedes-Benz or other prestigious vehicle, remind them that they are not any more special than other road users. Mercedes Benz is manufactured in over 30 countries in the world. Remind your teen that the value of their car is nothing if they’re not being responsible on the road.

Choices Have Consequences

If your teenager can’t follow the traffic laws and rules you make for them, let them know that they’ll face the consequences. Here are some of the laws you can lay down.

  • No cell phones when driving.
  • No extra passengers in the car
  • No speeding
  • No alcohol
  • No driving without a safety belt

If your teenager fails to honor these laws, you can withdraw their driving license for a period or take the car keys until you’re sure they can obey.

Train a Responsible Teen Driver

Your teenager is responsible for their actions when they are on the road. You need to remind them of the rules and regular ions they should follow. Mold them into responsible and careful drivers.