Car keys represent freedom and a major milestone for teenagers, but for parents, they often bring a heightened sense of worry. Ensuring safe driving requires a partnership between parents and teens, a concept often highlighted during Teen Driver Safety.
The focus is on the theme “It Takes Two: Shared Expectations for Teens and Parents for Driving.” At Parkway Insurance Group, we believe that caring makes the difference in proactive preparedness. By working together and setting clear ground rules, you can protect what matters most—your teen’s safety and your financial well-being.
Why the Partnership Approach Works
Teen drivers, especially in the first six months, have a significantly higher risk of being involved in an accident. Safe driving isn’t something learned solely in driver’s ed; it’s reinforced at home through open conversation and shared responsibility. When expectations are clear, misunderstandings and risks decrease.
Key Areas for Shared Expectations
This partnership focuses on the most critical risks facing new drivers. Parents and teens should sit down and agree on these rules, emphasizing that these aren’t limitations—they are safety standards.
1. Avoiding Distractions: Put the Phone Away
- The Expectation: Distracted driving is a leading cause of teen accidents. The rule should be simple and non-negotiable: The phone must be out of sight and silent while driving. This includes texting, checking social media, or even manipulating the navigation system while the car is moving.
- Actionable Step for Parents: Model this behavior. Teens notice when parents glance at their phones while driving. Set the example you want them to follow.
2. Speeding and Passengers: The Risk Multipliers
- The Expectation: Speeding significantly increases the severity of accidents. Furthermore, driving with extra teen passengers greatly increases the risk of a crash due to distraction and peer pressure. Most states have graduated licensing laws that limit passengers for a reason.
- Actionable Step for Parents: Set a rule that limits passengers, especially non-family members, for the first six to twelve months of solo driving. Consistently review speeds after every trip.
3. Seatbelts: Every Time, Every Seat
- The Expectation: Wearing a seatbelt is the simplest, most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. The rule is zero tolerance: All occupants must wear seatbelts.
- Actionable Step for Teens: Be responsible for ensuring everyone in the car buckles up. This is a commitment to the safety of everyone riding with you.
4. Substance Abuse: Never Drive Impaired
- The Expectation: There must be a clear agreement that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is never acceptable. This rule must have immediate and firm consequences.
- Actionable Step for Parents: Establish a “no questions asked” safety net. Guarantee that you will pick them up—or pay for a ride—anytime, anywhere, with no lecture, if they call you when they or their ride is impaired.
Setting Rules and Consequences
Formalizing these expectations with a written agreement can make them feel more official and less like parental nagging. This agreement should outline the key behaviors, as well as clear consequences if the rules are broken (e.g., losing driving privileges for a set period).
Preparing your teen for the road is just as important as preparing your vehicle. By partnering with your teen and setting crystal-clear rules, you are making the best investment in their safety—and potentially helping to keep your auto insurance costs manageable, too!
Contact Parkway Insurance Group today +1 (281) 558-1991 or email us at info@parkwayinsurancegroup.com to review your auto policy and ensure your teen driver is correctly covered.
