teen driving tips Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

TEENS BEHIND THE WHEEL

Daun Thompson — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:22:15 +0000

When it comes to parenting, it is said that over-involvement in your teenager’s life can be counter-productive. My mother would disagree, as would most grandmothers from her generation who ruled with an iron fist and a stingy flyswatter. Why did parents of my generation think they could do it better? Oh well, at least we experimented with time outs and counting to three, and we failed miserably. So, when it comes time for your teenager to be driving, you’re going to have to really put your foot down (or up…). Although helicopter parenting may be considered over the top and not very helpful, when it comes to our teens behind the wheel, nagging a little too much and being overly cautious may be the best approach to save your teenager’s life.
There are countless stories about teen accidents as well as countless videos showing teens driven to distraction, and the statistics are alarming. Studies show that, if you are going to die prematurely, at any time in your life, the two worst years are between 16 and 17, and the reason is because of driving. In fact, the leading cause for accidental death in teenagers is car crashes and the second leading cause for accidental death is perhaps from mouthing off (after all, I am a mother. Inexperienced drivers, combined with in-car distractions is truly a recipe for disaster. And, when it comes to our kids, studies also say that many parents may be much too relaxed about the subject. Either they trust their own kids entirely too much (which puts a lot of adult responsibility on them), or the parents are simply tired of car pooling their children and look forward to having someone else take over that chore. And why not other errands as well, such as washing the car, shopping, etc. Sometimes it’s nice to have some help. And most teenagers that haven’t a car of their own would jump at the chance to get behind the wheel and run those errands for you, just to get some drive time. Which is a good thing, since practice leads to experience, and experience makes a better driver. Under the strict rule, although, that they are not picking up other friends to go along for the ride since teen car pooling causes the most danger.
According to AAA, if a 16 or 17 year old driver has a passenger under 21 in the car, they are 44% more likely to be killed in a crash. Having two passengers doubles that risk, and it quadruples with three or more passengers.
It is said that teens think that they are invincible and they’re not particularly worried about the harm to themselves of getting in a car crash. Some kids admit that they were trying to look cool for their friends and/or trying to impress them when they crashed. Most states set passenger limits for new drivers for these very reasons. But ultimately it is the parent’s responsibility to keep their own kid safe. So, setting rules will only let them know that you care. Make a contract with your kid. Stipulating the rules and outlining the consequences for violating those rules will help you to monitor your kid.
Driving is a privilege, and a privilege can be taken away. So…cell phones in the glove compartment (be sure to turn the notification “dings” are off). And long live your kid!

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Teens Behind The Wheel – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Driving Tips for New Drivers

Daun Thompson — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 05:02:35 +0000

It scares the bajeezus out of me that kids don’t have driver education offered in high school like they did when I was a kid. Driver education is definitely not like it was back in the 70’s. Now, teens are not even required to attend a driving school. They can do a parent taught driver education course offered by the DPS (Department of Public Safety). Here are a few driving tips for new drivers. These tips may help parents when teaching their teens how to drive. Practicing good safety habits will not only help to prevent accidents, but the more time you drive without a ticket or an accident on your record, the lower you can keep your insurance rates.
Keep your cell phone off. If you have no willpower and can’t trust yourself to not reach for it while driving, lock it in the glove box or console. Talking on the phone is one thing, but texting is even worse. This requires taking your eyes off of the road for way too long. Turn your headlights on in the morning and at dusk. Even if it’s not completely dark outside, people are more likely to see you if your lights are on. Some cars are more “invisible” to drivers due to their color. So having your lights on certainly helps.
Drive at a safe speed. Even if everyone is blowing past you, you may be trying to keep up with the flow of traffic, but also keeping it at a safe speed while doing so. Minimize distractions and try to drive alone.
And always practice defensive driving. Always pay attention to everything going on around the car at all times. And always have a safe “out” planned in case you need an escape route should something happen suddenly. Stay at least one car length behind other cars at low speeds, and leave even more space at higher speeds or in inclement weather. A defensive driving course will improve your driving skills, get you up to speed with new laws and revised laws, and could give you a discount on your auto insurance for three years.
Thank goodness for all of the new safety features in cars. That will eventually help reduce teen driver fatalities. But there is no accounting for driving experience. Add that with these tips and it will increase the odds that your teen won’t become a statistic.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Driver Tips for New Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving

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5 To Drive

Daun Thompson — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 17:33:31 +0000

In October, 2013, during National Teen Driver Week, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unveiled a new campaign that challenges parents to discuss five critical driving practices with their teen drivers. These five critical practices can have the greatest beneficial impact in the event of a crash. Which is, in my opinion, outstanding, since motor vehicle collisions are the number one killer of teens in America. Almost half of teens killed in crashes are the drivers, themselves. This campaign, 5 to drive, as well as additional good information can be found at distraction.gov (the official US government website for distracted driving). The list is designed to counteract poor driving decisions that have contributed to the high death rate among teen drivers.

The 5 To Drive safe driving campaign topics are:
1. No Cell phone use or texting while driving
2. No extra passengers
3. No speeding
4. No alcohol
5. No driving or riding without a seat belt

Most states already have the above restrictions for new drivers. In Texas, a new driver has restrictions for one full year after they receive their driver license. No talking or texting. Driving curfews. And only one non-member under 21 in the car with you when you are driving (i.e. they only want you to kill one friend at a time…not all of them at once). That’s a brilliant restriction since we would pack kids in our cars like sardines when I was a teen driver.

My chief complaint as a mother of a teenage driver is the options for driver training that are currently offered. When I was a teen, we had drivers education in high school. It was part of our curriculum. We had a simulator that looked like a bumper car with a little theatre screen on it. How appropriate, to learn how to drive in a bumper car. My father would also take us out on country roads in his truck and have us practice driving. So, in addition to our driver training in school, we got hands-on instruction from my dear old dad. And my dad was a drunk driver. So, I learned how to weave and drift across three lanes. He’d put his beer can on the center of the dashboard and say “Now, line that up with the edge of the road.” Then he’d climb over the seat and pass out. Now, most high schools don’t even offer driver education. Independent driving schools offer driver education at a high cost. Or, a teen can take an online driver education course for quite a bit less. And, in Texas, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) offers a Parent-Taught Driver Education course for the least expense. The cover letter in the packet is totally written by a mother, too. It’s already letting you have it as a parent. It says “This is a parent-taught driver education course. Not a child-teaches-child while the parent is in the other room watching television.” Most teens are now taught to drive by their mothers. When I ask these teens, they say it is because their father is too impatient. I ask mothers who have taught this course to their teens if they were in the room with them while they were doing the classroom instruction. Most say they were not. At least they’re honest. But that means that there are many teens out there driving around with a scant idea of what they are doing behind the wheel. It’s a chilling thought. The more parents are really involved with instilling important driving skills and habits and making sure that they are constantly reminding them and making them accountable for their driving actions, the better chance that their teen will not end up as a statistic.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

5 To Drive – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Bad weather!!!

Lisa — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:20:29 +0000

Driving in bad weather is a major cause of accidents around the country, wow, bet you didn’t know that, right?! When it ices over drivers act like it’s the start of the apocalypse. They slam on their brakes on iced over bridges and over passes. “WOOHOO! GET READY FOR THE RIDE!” All you have to do is make sure you have plenty of following distance between you and the car ahead or better yet…when it ices over, stay home! Enjoy cartoons and ice cream.

Next week we will talk about the importance of using your mirrors. Let us know what you think and give us a comment.

Take care-
Danny Keaton

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