As a parent, one of our most significant causes of anxiety is the good health, safety, and welfare of our children. So when our teenagers are put in the position where they begin to drive, then our level of anxiety sometimes goes through the roof. So as parents, what rules, regulations, behavior, tips, and suggestions can we share with our new drivers to help keep them safe?

One of the best things we can do for our children is to be good role models. If we run through red lights, speed, drink and drive, weave in and out of traffic, engage in distracted driving, and violate many rules of the road, then the chances of your teenager engaging in the same type of conduct can be significantly increased. Always set a good example for your children and especially when driving a motor vehicle.

You should make sure that your teen driver gets a great deal of supervised practice where proper driving techniques are taught. You should also make sure that they train in poor weather conditions, such as rain, snow, ice and in the dark which can be done in large parking lots that are vacant or have large areas of open space.

Make sure you go over the rules of operating a motor vehicle, which are never to be violated. All passengers must wear a seatbelt, underage drinking and drug use is never to be done by anyone in the motor vehicle, no using cell phones, GPS, or other things that distract your teen's attention from the very important task of driving and follow all motor vehicle laws and regulations.

As a parent, you should make sure that the car that you entrust to your teen driver is safe. It would be helpful if you could have your vehicle checked at the local garage to make sure that there is enough tread on the tires, the brakes work correctly, all lights, windshield wipers, and other devices are in proper working order and that your vehicle is roadworthy.

You also need to monitor your teen's driving continually. If there is ever a time when your team violates one of your essential rules, then you must make immediate arrangements to suspend their operating privileges so that these violations will hopefully not occur in the future.

You also need to make your team aware of the fact that even though they are following all of the rules of the road and doing everything that they are supposed to be doing, that other drivers on the roadway might be operating their vehicles in a negligent, reckless or even criminal manner and that they should continuously be driving defensively and watching out for situations that might cause an accident so they can have the best chance of avoiding these problems.

Parents cannot prevent teen driving accidents, but there are certain things we can do to help reduce the risk of these horrific events. Please instill upon your new teen driver the fact that they are about to engage in a potentially dangerous activity that could result in serious injury or, the worst of cases, death. Be involved, be aware, and be careful!