Teen drivers benefit from patient and consistent instruction while learning to drive. Unfortunately, as all parents know, teenagers are prone to impulsive behaviors and more likely to be involved in serious or fatal car accidents. Teaching teen drivers how to drive safely and respectfully creates good habits early, increases confidence on the road, and can potentially save lives.
Keeping Your Teen Safe
Seats, mirrors, and driver settings should be adjusted before starting a car. This will help to ensure proper driving position and prevent the need for on-the-fly modifications And don’t forget to instruct your teen to buckle up. It’s both common sense and the law.
You can help keep your teen safe while driving by instructing them to:
- Avoid all forms of distraction
- Obey traffic signs and signals
- Follow speed limits
- Maintain two-car lengths between vehicles
- Keep both hands on the wheel
- Practice patience
Learning to become a safe driver takes time. The more time you can spend helping your teen learn how to drive, the higher their chances of avoiding a severe accident. Oklahoma teens are required to attend a professional driver’s education course or complete 55 hours of Parent-taught Drivers Ed (PTDE) to jumpstart safe driving practices.
Graduated Licensing
Oklahoma follows a graduated licensing system, which states licensed drivers can only operate a vehicle between 5 am and 10 pm unless they are driving to or from work, school, or church. When driving without an adult (aged 21+), novice drivers can only have one passenger in their vehicle unless all passengers are from the same household.
Graduated licensing has been shown to reduce the rate of fatal crashes among teen drivers by as much as 14%. When combined with driver’s education – both PTDE and professional – crash risks can be reduced even more.
We Are Here to Help
Safe teen drivers help prevent serious accidents, but not even the safest among us will always be able to avoid being injured. If your teen has been injured in an accident, the Johnson & Biscone team is here to help. Please call 405-232-6490 to schedule a free case review at our Oklahoma City office.
