The job of a parent becomes extra worrisome when facing with teenage drivers. Or even, children who are reaching that 15 and a half age, meeting the minimum driving requirement to take the driver’s ed class. This is a completely different type of worry, I’d say scarier than worry. Look at all the abysmal numbers out there on teenage drivers, like highest risk, most car crashes, and even fatal car accidents! This is also a time when your teenager is asking for nights out with friends—either with your car or with another teenager driving which can be equally frightening.

Different parents and families have different ways to try and keep their teenagers safe on the road. Having a series of house rules can be helpful, especially when the teenager does not own the car; hence the parent has the power of the car keys… Some of the common house rules are not to drive between 10pm and 5am, or simply no driving when it is dark. Also, the obvious, no drugs or alcohol allowed in the car. As a parent, if my child is involved with drugs or alcohol, there will be no car keys to start with!

Some families set up a series of phases for the new teenage drive. The phases are structured to allow the driver time to demonstrate the ability to handle a car. In other words, action speaks louder than words, so the better and longer the teenage driver performs, the more autonomy and freedom will be delivered. For example, an early phase might be not having any car accidents or tickets for 6 months along with maintaining good grades to earn some evening driving hours.

One of the big no-no’s in teenage driving is driving with other teens. Teenage years is such a complex and challenging time, as they are filled with hormones and decision makings while the body and brains are still developing. It is difficult enough as is for a new driver to focus on the road while manipulating the car safely. If adding more teenagers in the car, it becomes a serious distraction and can be disastrous. Like, a passenger showing photos to the driver, or a video even, or to read a text that might be interesting while the car is moving.

It is often talked about and reported, just how serious driving is. Car accidents are, and continue to be, the leading cause of death for teens and young adults—more than 5,5000 of this age group die each year in car accidents, and countless more injured. Parents can definitely contribute to minimizing the likelihood of car accidents by preparing their child, starting off with an effective driver’s education class. Driver’s ed classes are not only good as an introduction to driving, it can provide rich resources, and serve as a refresher later down the road to increase safety. Not only this, the icing on the cake is that driver’s ed can get you insurance discounts, that can range from about 5% to 15%. Driver’s ed is a good start for a new teenage driver to begin this journey on becoming a safe and experienced driver.