When your teenage son or daughter first gets his or her driver’s license, you might start to panic. It’s difficult to let your teenager loose on the road, especially during that first year. However, you can ease yourself into this stage in your teen’s life by instituting these rules of the road. They will help keep your teenager safe and allow you to have some peace of mind.
Cell Phone Use
Texting or talking while driving can cause serious accidents, but with Mercedes-Benz Bluetooth® Connectivity you can feel at ease while your teenager is behind the wheel. The technology allows you or your teen to make and receive calls without ever taking their hands off the wheel. Receiving and sending text messages are also easy and hands free.
If you don’t want your teen to use their phone at all, consider using cell phone apps to control your teen’s use of the phone while in the car. Family Circle recommends Text Arrest, for instance, which disables the phone’s texting functionality until your teen arrives at his or her destination. It has a setting where you can disable the screen, as well.
Passenger Limits
The more people your teenager packs in the car, the easier it becomes for him or her to get distracted. Just like cell phones, human distractions can cause accidents and other problems on the road, such as unintentional speeding. Consider limiting your teen to one or two passengers at a time. You should feel confident that no matter the occupants of the vehicle, Mercedes-Benz has some of the safest vehicles on the road. The IIHS recently gave the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class the highest rating of Good.
Time Limits
Certain times of day increase the risk for traffic accidents, such as rush hour, and the odds of getting into an accident increase over holiday weekends and after dark. Night-time driving reduces visibility and might increase your teen’s risk of encountering an impaired motorist.
Consider restricting the hours during which your teen can use the car. Having your child home before dark and refusing to surrender the keys during peak traffic times might reduce the risk of an accident. Make sure your child knows that you’re distrustful of other drivers and not questioning his or her behavior.
Obligations
You might want your teen to stay out of the car until he or she finishes homework, completes chores, or fulfills other responsibilities. The car can become a handy motivational tool for parents who want to instill a sense of obligation in their children. Creating rules around your teen’s responsibilities will reinforce the notion that driving is a privilege and not a right.
Vehicle Use
When you hand your keys to your teen, you know what safety features your car offers, such as:
- Brake and Active Lane Assist
- Intelligent Drive
- Air Bags
- Electronic Stability Control
- Backup Camera and Sensors
- Blind-spot and Lane-Departure Warning
If your teen gets behind the wheel of someone else’s car, however, you won’t know whether the vehicle offers those same protections. Consider creating a rule that requires your teenager to drive cars only with your permission. That way, you don’t have to worry about accidents happening in someone else’s vehicle. Parenting a teenage driver can prove stressful, but creating firm rules will help you feel more comfortable and help your child learn how to drive responsibly.