Put Your Child Through The Paces - While You Are In The Car

The Driver Education In-Car Training provided by our public school systems is really only a starting point for teaching your teen to drive safely. I recommend no less than 100 hours driving time for your child with a parent in the passenger seat before you let them out on his or her own. One thing that you should do when teaching your child how to drive is teach them how to deal with stressful and dangerous situations while you are there to talk them through it. For example, I advise that you take them to an abandoned, low traffic road and with them observing in the passenger seat, you drive off the road and talk them through the process of getting the car back on the road in a safe manner. Too often, young drivers faced with this situation will over correct and jerk the wheel too forcefully. This can lead to losing control of the vehicle. Let them gain experience with this type of emergency maneuver while you are teaching and talking them through it. When you feel that they are ready, have them drive off the road and bring the car safely back onto the road. Another great learning experience is 5:00 traffic. They are going to have to drive it eventually; don't you want to make sure that you have taught them how before they tackle it on their own? Make it a point, when you think they are ready, to have them drive in stressful traffic situations, including traffic to and from ball games and concerts. If they have done this with you in the passenger seat, then when they are driving with a distracting friend in the seat beside them, they stand a much better chance of handling safely. Try to think of any other situations that might require your help and seek those out while you are still training them. We hope you strive to teach your child safe driving habits from vehicle maintenance to traffic lights, to highway safety and even map reading.

Teaching Your New Driver Vehicle Orientation and Maintenance

Before starting to drive perform a quick safety check of the vehicle. Now is a good time to have a brief discussion about vehicle maintenance. Explain basic maintenance items such as when oil changes are due and proper tire inflation. Verify that all lights and turn signals are functioning properly and free of obstruction.

Safety Tips to Pass on to your Teen Driver:

• For emergency purposes, teach your teen to keep at least 1/4 tank of gas in their car at all times. You do not want them running out of gas in an unsafe area. Additionally, you will avoid the frustration of having to unexpectedly stop for gas when your teen has been driving your car.
• Hazard lights. Make sure your teen knows how to locate and turn on the hazard lights in each of your cars.
• Familiarize you teen with the location and operation of the vehicle controls. It is important that your teen is comfortable in the driver's seat. Today's newer cars are capable of adjusting the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator. Review proper operation of the heater, air conditioning, cruise control and wiper blades.
• Explain the dashboard gauges and their purpose. Taking the time to explain the gauges will help maintain the vehicle in proper working condition. Furthermore, it may save you a large repair bill. After all, the time for your teen to understand the temperature gauge is not after the car has overheated. A good habit to form is maintaining a mileage log. The log should detail the date, miles on the vehicle, the number of gallons of gas added and the miles per gallon obtained on the prior tank of gas. When the gas mileage decreases it is an early warning signal that the engine needs maintenance.
• It is strongly recommended that you have your teen change a tire before he/she obtains their license. With the prevalence of cell phones, many parents assume their teen can all them or AAA for assistance. Depending on the location and time of day, it may take 2-3 hours before assistance can arrive.
• Tire jacks can be very confusing and hard to deal with if you are new using them. Practice using tire jacks with your teen. Make sure you show he/she proper use and "placement of the jack." If used incorrectly, tire jacks could cause injury or even death. People die every year from car jacks being used improperly. And don't forget to show your teen how to chock the tires.
• it is very dangerous to change a tire on the highway. Call the state police to assure drivers move over and the safety of your teen.
• Maintain an emergency kit in the trunk, complete with: flares, a flashlight, and batteries. Practice using the flares also.

The Benefits of Teen Driving Courses and Driver Education

Teen drivers account for most of the accidents on roadways today, statistics claim. This raises insurance prices, liability, and even may result in teens losing their license from poor driving. The goal in driving courses and driver education is to give teens the knowledge necessary to firstly pass the driving test on exam day, but also keep them safe with important safety tips and procedures.

Monetary Benefits of Driver Education Courses

Many insurance companies allow for reduced prices in insurance costs to teens who have taken driver's education classes. This usually requires that the child pass with an impressive grade. Other insurance companies offer families video tapes and written tests of common safety tips in driving. If teens do well on these exams, they can get a huge break in insurance expenses.

The improved safety knowledge while driving also makes teens less prone to accidents and wrecks. This keeps insurance rates as low as possible, since wrecks often make insurance rates skyrocket. Sadly, even getting in a wreck in which the teen driver was not at fault can raise insurance prices, so teens should be aware of other drivers driving recklessly on the road.

Driver's education also stresses that obeying the speed limit and driving with caution is the best way to go. This helps save on tickets or other violations that can cost hundreds of dollars. It also produces less strain on vehicles, in which they would otherwise be pushed to the limit by excessive speeds or reckless maneuvers. With less strain comes longer life, which means less money spent on vehicles.

Exam Preparation of Driver Education Courses

Another good benefit of driver's education courses is that it helps prepare students for the exam both written and hand-ons.

The written exam differs from state to state, but it can often be very tough. It forces students to memorize driving laws, signs, and other types of related driver's education laws. The failure rate is usually somewhat high, even with studying. The problem is that teens don't get enough hands-on practice before taking the written exam. Actions are much more memorable than words in a book, so this is often overlooked as a huge benefit to driver's education courses.

The hands-on exam gets even more benefit in pass rates, since it actually demands that students put their knowledge to use. In this case, only experience behind the wheel can get the student in shape to pass the driving test. Parents are required to take students out for a specified amount of hours before taking the test, but not every parent is a good driving coach. This is where driver's education courses shine, since there will be no yelling, drama, or hardships that commonly plague parent-child excursions.

Final Thoughts on Driver's Education Courses

Enlisting a teen into a driver's education course is a smart decision. Not only is there monetary benefit, which is always nice, but the odds that the teen will pass the driver's test will be much higher. This is nice, since not every parent can afford to take off work multiple times in case their children don't pass the exam.

As with everything, passing the written and hands-on driving tests handed out by each state will require determination and perseverance. Don't be discouraged by the amount of information to remember and put to use. Enrolling in a driver's education course will assuredly provide all the necessary experience to get on the right track.

Talk to Other Parents

Talking to other parents of teens lets you discuss what's worked and what hasn't. It's a way of sharing experiences with someone facing the same issue as you. Here are some ideas for discussing teen safe driving with other parents:

• Find out what rules and consequences other parents have established and share your own. (you'll be able to see real-life examples as you fill out each section of the Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract.) Talk about driving rules with other parents the same way you'd talk about parties, alcohol use or curfews.
• Talk to other parents in your community about setting common driving rules. It's much easier to be an effective parent when you have support of other parents in your community.
• Ask other parents how they coach their teens, what do they say to their friends if they think those friends are not driving safely? Or if a friend is drinking and driving?
• Work together to help make sure all teens in your community are safe. Have an agreement with other parents to take away a teens car keys, call the parents, call a taxi or allow the teen to sleep over if they shouldn't be driving. And agree that none of you will let a teen leave your house and get behind the wheel if you suspect they've been drinking.
• Get teen driving on the agenda at the next parent-teacher meeting at school.

For more help on teen driving safety, please visit my website at:

www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/AllAmerican

When the Weather is Frightful: How to Drive Safely

Whether you have to drive in a thunderstorm, blizzard, or hurricane, most people find driving in bad weather stressful or even frightening. It's best to stay inside-but that isn't always possible. Here's how to stay safe when you have to drive.

- Maintain your vehicle

- Keep your battery in good condition

- Replace wiper blades every 6 months and check wiper fluid regularly

- Make sure brakes work properly

- Replace worn tires to prevent hydroplaning. Keep tires well inflated to improve vehicle control

General Driving Tips for bad weather

If you must drive in inclement weather, giver yourself plenty of time and follow these tips:

- Wear your seat belt - Use main roads

- Avoid using your cruise control

- Drive slowly and double your normal following distance

Thunderstorms

If you are driving a car with a hard top and are caught in a thunderstorm, you are safer staying in the car than leaving. Although you may be injured if lightening strikes your car, your vehicle's steel roof can help keep you safe as long as you don't touch metal. Contrary to popular belief, rubber tires will NOT protect you from lightening.

If you must drive:

- Turn on your low beams and slow down

- Avoid flooded roads and downed power lines

- Be extra cautious at intersections

- If you can't see, pull over to the side of the road

- If you pull over, use your flashers until the rain slows down

The same precautions apply to hailstorms. To protect your car from hail damage, pull into a parking garage or some other form of shelter until the hail ends.

Flooding

Flash floods can occur in minutes. If the waters begin to rise around your car, get out and move quickly to higher ground. Just 6 inches of water can enter your car and cause your engine to stall. A foot of water can make your car float- and 2 feet can sweep it away.

Fog

If you must drive in fog:

- Turn on your low beams. High beams reflect off the fog and make your visibility worse.

- Watch your speed. Driving in fog can make you think you're going slower than you really are.

- Stay in your lane and avoid passing.

- If you can, pull into a parking lot or some other area that is away from traffic

High Winds

Strong gusts of wind can blow your car off the road, especially on wide open stretches or bridges. Focus on staying in your lane. Also, be alert for fallen branches or debris.

Ice and Snow

- Don't drive until the streets have been plowed and salted

- Clear all snow and ice from your hood, trunk, and roof before driving to prevent it from flying off and striking your windshield or other vehicles. In some states, it's the law to do this.

- Clear off headlights, tail lights, and brake lights. Dirty headlights can cut your visibility in half. Uncleared tail lights and brake lights can cause accidents.

- Use extra caution on bridges and ramps.

- Drive Slowly.

- Keep your headlights on.

- Increase the space between your car and the car in front of you.

- Keep your car in low gear to prevent skidding.

- Don't use cruise control.

- Watch out for "black ice."

- Accelerate and brake slowly.

- If you start skidding, take your foot off the gas, switch into neutral and steer in the direction of the skid. Resist the temptation to brake, but if you have to and you have anti lock brakes, use steady pressure without pumping. If you don't have anti lock brakes, pump brakes gently.

Teen Driver Menace: Text-Messaging

Did you know that nearly 50% of teens admit to texting while driving- an alarming statistic that now rivals driving and drinking in terms of danger and prevalence.

When it comes to teen driving, put the danger of text-messaging right up there with drunken driving as Public Enemies No. 1 and 1A on the nation's roads.

According to SADD ( Students Against Destructive Decisions), instant messaging and text-messaging while driving leads the list as the biggest distraction while driving. The study, released in 2007, which included 900 teens from 26 high schools nationwide, revealed that text-messaging while driving is becoming as dangerous as drinking and driving, in terms of inhibiting a teens driving abilities. Yet, even while 37% of teens rated text-messaging while driving as "extremely" or "very" distracting, they continue to send and receive messaging in their moving vehicles anyway.

Alarmingly, 46% of teens admitted that those who drive distracted are texting, according to a AAA study which appeared in several magazines in 2007. The crash statistics surrounding distractions in vehicles, such as cellphone use, are growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near-crashes in the United States.While most states have adopted or are adjusting legislation around teen driving, the restrictions of teen driving laws vary from state to state.

Based on the extensive research over the past several years, SADD have set forth a number of guidelines for families-including preventing cell phone use in the car.

Interestingly, 52% of teens who say their parents are unlikely to follow through on punishment if they are caught text-messaging while driving, compared to 36% of teens who believe their parents would penalize them, according to the SADD.

Not surprisingly, the study also reports the biggest influence on how teens drive is their parents. Almost two-thirds of high school teens say their parents talk on a cell phone while driving; almost half say their parents speed and almost a third say their parents don't wear a safety belt.

After School Hours Are Dangerous For Teen Drivers

Most parents only really get concerned about their teen driver when they head out on the road at night. And rightfully so, it is a dangerous time. But a recent study shows that the time right after school is also a very high risk time for teen drivers. This study by AAA indicates that weekday afternoon driving time is just as dangerous for teens as night driving. The researchers studied the number of fatal crashes involving teens between 2002 and 2005. They found that 16 and 17 year old's were involved in almost as many fatal crashes between 3 and 5 pm on weekdays as they were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 pm and 2 am. There were 1,100 weekday fatal accidents and 1,237 weekend evening fatal accidents. So what can parents do about this? Well, here are several suggestions: 1. Establish some specific driving rules with your teen. Be consistent in enforcing both the rules and the consequences when the rules are broken. 2. Impose an absolute ban on cell phone use while your teen is driving. Don't call them yourself when you know they are driving. 3. Require your teen to use a seat belt any and every time they are traveling in any vehicle whether a driver or a passenger. You must do the same to reinforce the importance of this. 4. Don't allow your teen driver to carry passengers during the first 3 months or more of driving. Let them get used to being out on their own before they add the distractions of passengers. 5. Don't permit your teen to ride with other teen drivers. I know this will be a hard sell in these times of high gas prices but until you know just how safe the other teen driver is, you really should not permit your child to ride with him or her. 6. Make your rules known to other adults in your teens life. This can help provide an extra set of eyes when you are not around. 7. Install a GPS monitoring system in your child's car. When they know that you are watching all of the time, their driving habits will be safer. To get more safety tips and to find out how you can get a GPS tracking system installed in your child's car for free, visit my website at www.TeenDriverInsurance.com/AllAmerican