Teen Driving: Safety Tips Before Hitting the Road

40 out of 50 states in the US, reaching 15 means more than just celebrating your Quinceañera, by age 15 and a half, you’ve reached the legal age to obtain your permit to learn how to drive.

Some girls opt for a car or a trip instead of a Quince party, so it’s best to be ready for when that time comes.

To give you a head start in adopting good driving habits, here’s a list of do’s and don’ts recommended by TeenDriving.com, a web site dedicated to helping you live a long and wonderful life.

Practice safe teen driving:

• Always wear your seatbelt-and make sure your passengers do, too.
• Don’t fit more people in your car than you have seatbelts.
• Obey the speed limits. Excess speed is one of the main causes of teenage accidents.
• Don’t run red lights.
• Use your turn signals for turning and changing lanes.
• Don’t drive like you own the road. Drive like you own the car.
• Keep your windshield clean. Glaring sun on dirty windshields can momentarily blind you.
• Make sure your car has plenty of gas so you don’t get stranded.
• DON’T DRINK OR DO DRUGS AND DRIVE, and don’t ride with anyone who has been drinking. Even some over-the-counter medications can make you drowsy.
• Have your vision checked to make sure you don’t need glasses to drive.
• Avoid distractions.
  

  Here are the most common distractions for teen (and adult) drivers:

  • Don’t eat in the car. You need both hands to drive.
  • Adjust your controls (radio, heater, AC mirrors, etc.) when the car isn’t moving.
  • Don’t play your radio too loud. It’s distracting to you, annoying to other drivers, and you may not hear sirens from emergency vehicles.
  • Ask your friends to be calm and cool in the car. If they’re distracting, leave them home.
  • Don’t use your cell phone or text message while driving. Again, you need both hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road and your mind on what’s going on around you.
  • Don’t check your email, read the paper or a book while you’re driving.

Someone once said, “Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.” Remember it as you hold the steering wheel in your hands and drive into your future.