Complete A-Z Teen Driving Guide – Part 4
Be sure to read our part 4 of our Complete A-Z Teen Driving Guide if your teen is ready to become a licensed driver. The process of learning to drive and getting that coveted driver’s license is a rite of passage for teens. Yes, they are anxious to become mobile and less dependent on mom or dad. Yet, it can also induce sleepless nights and premature grey hairs for YOU, the concerned parent.
If your own child is close to getting a learner’s permit or driver’s license, know the A-Z facts about teen driving. It can be very dangerous. However, knowledge is power. So, sit down together and read this teen driving guide from Drive Smart Georgia.
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Teen Driving Guide: Under the Influence
The Governor’s Highway Safety Association defines driving while impaired as operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both. While drunk driving is on the decline, it still poses a serious problem.
Every day, 28 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 53 minutes. The percentage of teens in high school that drink and drive has decreased by more than half since 1991. Yet, one in ten admit to driving after having one or more drinks.
Alcohol isn’t the only issue these days. There are over 400 drugs that are tracked by the NHTSA that can cause impairment, and each one has a different impact on every user. Be sure to talk to your new driver about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Set rules and enforce very serious consequences.
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Teen Driving Guide: Vehicle Maintenance
Learning road rules and practicing safe driving skills will definitely help keep your teen driver safe. However, car maintenance is also very important.
Be sure to explain that upkeep is a responsibility that all drivers need to address. Car maintenance costs can often convince cash-strapped teens to shirk much-needed updates, but thousands of trouble-free miles only occur when a car is well maintained.
New drivers should be shown how to monitor gauges, get familiar with the engine, check fluid levels and tire pressure. A little preventative maintenance will go a long way to keeping your teen driver safe on the road.
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Teen Driving Guide: Weather Conditions
Everyone should keep an eye on potentially changing weather conditions, but this is especially true for new and inexperienced teen drivers. Driving on ice or snow, in rain or fog, or at nighttime all pose different challenges.
If at all possible, drive with your teen in as many adverse conditions as possible to give them real life experience. Check out this article from DriveSafely.net for tips on driving during rain, snow, ice, fog, or high wind.
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Teen Driving Guide: Yielding
The driving technique of yielding is one of the most technical and difficult to master. When do drivers need to stop and when do they need to yield? Drivers seem to have their own interpretations, so the issue is confusing to teens.
A Federal Highway Administration study of 40,000 drivers at intersections controlled by stop signs revealed that two-thirds of drivers failed to stop. So, instead of assuming that other drivers will automatically yield right of way, your teen driver should pay careful attention to their intentions and actions. Therefore, when in doubt, always yield to other drivers.
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Teen Driving Guide: Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance laws prohibit drivers under the age of 21 from operating a motor vehicle if they have any alcohol whatsoever in their system. For drivers in Georgia over the age of 21, the legal limit is .08. Minors under the age of 21 will get a DUI with a blood-alcohol level as little as .02 percent (limits vary from state to state).
A first DUI offense means 6 months of license suspension, a hefty fee, and going to a DUI alcohol or drug risk reduction program. So, be sure to tell your teen about the serious consequences of Georgia’s Zero Tolerance law. A teen runs the risk of DUI with just one drink. Just say no.
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Related articles:
Part 1: Complete A-Z Teen Driver Guide
Part 2: Complete A-Z Teen Driver Guide
Part 3: Complete A-Z Teen Driver Guide
Advice for nervous parents of new teen drivers