3 Things That Will Make Your Teen’s First Highway Or Freeway Drive A Success
If you’ve got a teenager that’s just learning to drive, you know how stressful and nerve-wracking it can be to teach your son or daughter how to stay safe behind the wheel.
And while traveling along your neighborhood or down the quiet streets around your community can be a good place for your teen to learn the ropes of driving, they’re eventually going to have to graduate to driving on highways or freeways. This type of driving can be very scary for parents of new drivers, so it’s important that you prepare your teen in the best way possible.
To help with this, here are three things that will make your teen’s first highway or freeways drive a success.
Be Strategic About Time And Place
Driving at high speeds around other cars going high speeds can be much more dangerous in the event that your teen should get in a car accident.
So to help reduce the chances of this happening, Nationwide.com suggests that you be strategic about what time and what place you start your teen out with driving on these fast roads.
If there are some areas or on-ramps that are better traveled than others, you might want to pick the ones that generally have less traffic for starters. Also, make their first drive during the day and when the weather is calm and clear.
Teach Them How To Properly Use Their Mirrors
When driving on a highway or the freeway, it’s vital that your teen understands the importance of using their mirrors and the proper way to check their mirrors.
With many newer cars being made with the ability to alert drivers when other cars are around them or in their blind spot, some teens might not be as vigilant on their own as they should be. For this reason, Driving-Tests.org advises that you go over checking their mirrors with your teen before they get on these fast roads.
Have them practice changing lanes on slower roads in preparation for changing lanes on bigger roads
Talk About Staying In The Right Lanes
One of the most important rules about driving on highways or freeways with multiple lanes has to do with staying in the right lane whenever you can.
However, many teens spend far too much time in the left lane, or “fast lane”. Unfortunately, doing this not only puts your teen at more risk but also can hinder traffic.
Because of this, Jason Kavanaugh, a contributor to Edmunds.com, recommends that you speak with your teen about only moving over to the left lanes if they’re planning to pass a slower car. And once they’ve safely passed that car, move back over to the right lane to continue down the road
To help your teen be a safer driver, consider using the advice mentioned above to keep your child safe when behind the wheel on the highway or freeway.
What are you doing to teach your teen about highway driving?