5 Tips for Parents of Teen Drivers

Nothing can be more nerve wracking to a parent than that first time you sit on the passenger side of the vehicle while your son or daughter takes the seat behind the wheel. But some tips for parents of teen drivers can help teach them to be both safe and confident.

Unfortunately, teen drivers have the highest collision rate of any other driving age group, with those who have driven less than a year at the top of the list. While worrying will always go hand in hand with raising kids, there are a few things that parents can do to help ease their worry.

1) While your teen may be of legal age to drive, are they mentally prepared to drive? How do you make a determination? Well, do they show good social skills? Do they grow impatient at the least provocation? Do they show respect to others? Are they impulsive? These behavior problems might clue you in that perhaps your teen might not be able to handle the stress of driving as well as someone who's more patient and shows consideration of others. Yeah, they're teenagers, and social skills are still developing, but you'll know the difference.

2) Make sure that YOU show your teen drivers a good example. Follow the rules. Stop for stop signs, follow the posted speed limits, slow down at yellow lights, show patience and manners when driving, and more than likely, so will your teen driver. Lead by example. Try to convey the importance of keeping eyes on the road, and not talking on the cell phone or finding your favorite song on the CD player or iPod.

3) Set boundaries. Even if your state allows new teen drivers to have passengers or drive at night, try to ease them into this. Make sure they are confident at handling highway situations before making them responsible for other lives in the car. For starters, allow only family members in the car. Gradually allow them to have one friend, then two, if things go well. Make sure that they are skilled enough to ignore the added distraction of friends before allowing them to ride with your teen. And on the flip side, ensure that whomever your teen is driving with is just as ready.

4) Just because your teen passed the drivers test at the DMV or completed Driver's Ed courses through school or community services doesn't mean they're ready to get set loose on streets and freeways. Make sure you continue to drive with your teen until you feel confident that they're ready to handle solo driving. High-strung or nervous teens may need extra time, and that's okay.

5) Show patience. Don't overly criticize your teen driver. Remember, you've got the benefit of years of experience behind you. Try to remember what it was like for you when you first started driving and don't expect them to be perfect. You might always find yourself grabbing for the edge of the seat or wishing they hadn't made that turn, but you wouldn't think twice if you'd done it yourself.