4 Critical Driving Lessons to Teach Your Kids

If you have children, there are milestones they’ll cross that you’ll be able to witness. As a parent, that’s exciting for you.

You’ll probably be there to see their first steps. You might see them swim for the first time, lay down a perfect bunt, or master a musical instrument.

You’ll probably be the one to teach them how to drive. That can be fun for both of you, but as a parent, it could make you nervous as well.

There are a few vital topics you should bring up with your kids when you teach them to drive. You know that you can’t teach them about every driving situation, but if you give them a solid foundation, it should help them immensely.

Let’s talk about a few of those essential lessons now.

Never Leave an Accident Scene

You’d hope that your teenager will never get in a car accident, but these things happen frequently. You might have taught them as best you could, but a traffic situation might arise where they panic or make a mistake.

If they hit a pedestrian, pet, another car, or an inanimate object, you need to teach them to stay there and never leave the accident scene until the police come and take their statement. If they leave before the cops come, that can go badly for them.

For instance, in Pennsylvania, the cops might consider a hit-and-run accident a misdemeanor or a felony. A young driver can get a $300 fine and up to four months in jail if they hit an unattended vehicle and leave. Other states have similar penalties on the books, so make sure your teen knows to stay and face the music if they hit something with their car.

Don’t Speed

It thrills many teens to get behind the wheel. They might feel like they’ve waited years for this moment, and now it has finally arrived.

You need to get them to curb that excitement a little, though. As you teach them to drive in a parking lot or on a deserted back street, emphasize that they should never speed.

You can impress upon them that the faster they go, the more damage they can do if they get in a wreck. They might go five miles per hour over the speed limit on the highway, and that’s not awful, but any more than that, and they’re asking for trouble.

They can get a ticket, but also, the faster they go, the more likely there will be a deadly outcome if they hit another car. There’s a significant difference if they hit another vehicle going fifty-five versus if they’re going seventy.

Don’t Consume Alcohol or Drugs and Drive

In their driving classes, whether their high school gives them or they go to an independent driving school, your kids will learn that they shouldn’t drink and drive. You need to talk to them about that as well.

You might have a family example of someone who drank and drove. Many people know someone who lost their life or severely hurt someone because they decided to chug some beers, then jump behind the wheel.

You can talk to them about driving and drug use as well. You’ve probably spoken to them about drugs and alcohol before and told them how much trouble they can get into if they experiment.

You need to make sure they know it’s a lot worse if they try something and drive, though. Tell them that if they do try something, and they’re thinking about driving, call you or an Uber instead. You might be a little mad at them because they drank or tried drugs, but at least they remembered your warning not to drive if they did those things.

Don’t Text or Talk on the Phone and Drive

Texting or talking on a smartphone and driving is one of the worst things a young driver can do. Many people lose their lives this way, either the driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian who never sees the distracted individual coming.

If your teen drives, tell them never to talk on the phone or text under any circumstances until they pull over to the side and turn off the engine.

There’s plenty more you can teach your kids about driving, but these are a few of the most critical rules. If you have a responsible teen, tell them you’re sure they’re ready for this, and you know they’ll make you proud.