This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, which is meant to highlight different ways that we can help to safeguard our teen drivers. As most of us know, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for individuals 15 to 19 years of age. It is imperative that parents take very active steps to properly educate their teen drivers on the risks and dangers of operating a motor vehicle and constantly monitor and supervise their teens driving behavior. Far too many parents experience the unimaginable horror of losing a child in a motor vehicle accident, so it is very, very important that we do everything in our power to help safeguard our teens.

Keep reading our blog below to learn more about how to keep your teen driver safe!

As parents, we need to realize that once our teen obtains their driver's license that this is the time that we really need to be actively involved in our teens' further education and supervision of their driving behavior. Many parents think that if the state feels that teen is prepared to drive then there is no reason for them to be involved any further in this educational process. This, however, is the time when teens begin to make some very bad choices, some of which lead to deadly consequences while others result in serious injuries to teen drivers, their passengers, and others on the roadways.

How Can Parents Help?

One of the best things that we can do as parents is to act as a good role model so that our teen sees that we do the right things while driving and avoid all of the mistakes that many people make while operating a motor vehicle.

Although all of these suggestions sound very obvious and elementary,

it is important that parents follow all motor vehicle laws, including:

• Avoiding speeding
• Stopping at all stop signs and red lights
• Never drink and drive
• Never use a cell phone or text while driving
• Always engage in responsible behavior that can be copied by the parents' teen driver

It is also a good idea to go over and sign a parent-teen driver agreement with your new teen driver. This agreement should set forth a complete understanding as to the rules and regulations that your teen must follow when operating your motor vehicle. The agreement will also set forth what will happen in the event the teen violates any of those rules and the agreement should contain a provision that allows the teen driver to call their parent, under any circumstances including situations where there is drinking, in which case the parent will then get the child and no adverse consequences will result to the teen in making that telephone call.

Setting the Standard for Teen Drivers

Parents should actively monitor their teen drivers' behavior. Restrictions should be put into place regarding nighttime driving, driving in the rain or on snowy roads. Other boundaries should include restricting the number of passengers that can ride in your motor vehicle, perhaps highway driving, and longer trips should be discouraged. Telephone calls should be made on a regular basis so that your teen can check in with you during the course of any extended use of your motor vehicle. It is important that parents stay very involved in this the process so hopefully, the number of teen driving accidents can be reduced and teen driving deaths can be eliminated.

Contact Our Connecticut Injury Attorney

Please visit our website at www.HCWLAW.com and download a free copy of our parent-teen driver agreement. You can review it with your teen and thereafter sign it together, which will provide a starting point for you to have a very detailed conversation about what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior as it relates to operating a motor vehicle or in being a passenger in someone else's vehicle.