nce of leaving plenty of space between him and the car ahead. Make sure he knows how to handle a skid, and what to do if he runs off the road. Over-correcting after leaving the road is one of the leading causes of accidents in inexperienced drivers.
- Fog is difficult for even the most experienced drivers to deal with, so it is crucial to discuss this potential issue with your teenager. Your teen driver needs to slow down when encountering fog, and turn his dim lights on so others can see him. Bright lights create glare in fog, and their use should be avoided.
- With just a dusting of snow, roads can begin to get slick. Therefore, all drivers need to slow down, provide a larger gap between the vehicles around them and begin the process of braking earlier than usual. If his car starts to skid, your teen should immediately take his foot off the accelerator. Make sure that he knows not to slam on the brakes as this can make the situation worse. If one is available, a little time on a skid pad can make a world of difference in learning how to drive out of a skid.
5) Interstate Driving
A teen’s initial drive on an interstate can be a terrifying experience. With so much apparently going on, there’s a danger of sensory overload. But the ability to drive on the interstate is a necessary evil in our society.
Your teen should be able to merge easily with interstate traffic, entering the flow at the same speed the other vehicles are traveling. He should know how to properly signal when changing lanes, and be able to use his mirrors to keep track of what’s happening around him. Knowing the hierarchy of road signs is a must to avoid confusion at critical times.
Interstate driving should be practiced under all conditions, and especially at night when the long-haul truckers are out. Driving among the big rigs can be intimidating, but with proper exposure and preparation, your teen should be able to adapt to it in no time.
You can help your teenager get safely through their first year of driving by discussing these situations with him, and then gradually letting him experience the situations on the road. After he has a year or two of real world experience under his belt, it will become much easier for him to react correctly in a wide variety of different driving situations.
Richard Freeland is the father of two boys who, luckily, survived their teen driving days with only fender benders. Steven Kellis is a Philadelphia DUI attorney with over 20 years experience counseling and defending folks involved in DUI incidents.
Photo courtesy State Farm, Flickr