Before you became a parent, everyone told you how much joy a child would bring into your life. And that promise has certainly come true. But nobody warned you about the worries that would come along with parenthood.
While it’s been a great experience watching your children grow from infancy to adolescence, you know that the teenage years can be the most dangerous of all. Your child has begun to learn to treasure her independence, self-reliance, and judgment—and that sometimes means paying less attention than she should to wise advice from adults. Even your advice.
And now she’s learning to drive.
Three principles for keeping your child safe on the road
You want your daughter to be a safe Pennsylvania driver. From your own experience, you know that there are two complementary parts to safe driving:
- Personal responsibility behind the wheel—so you don’t endanger yourself, your passengers, and other people.
- Alertness to road conditions and other drivers’ mistakes—so you can anticipate and avoid dangerous situations, and reduce your chances of being involved in a Pennsylvania traffic accident.
- Your child has to learn these for herself. You can’t step in and do the job for her. However, you can give her the enormous advantage of your experience. You can become an essential part of her learning process—and the bond between you will become stronger for your efforts.
Follow these three principles to help prepare your child for her future as a safe driver in Pennsylvania:
- Communicate. Talk to your child often about your expectations for responsible driving, car upkeep, and acceptable behavior. Now is the time to finally have that talk about drinking and driving. Make sure you discuss important safety issues, such as seat belt use, texting and cell phone use, and the distraction of friends in the vehicle. Share lessons from your own experiences on the road.
- Commit. Budget time from your schedule to ride with your child as she practices driving. Observe her in as many different weather and traffic conditions as possible. Be generous with safety tips that you have learned; you’ll be surprised how often helpful advice will occur to you. Take time to address her questions and apprehensions.
- Model. Don’t just rely on your words to convince your child you’re serious about Pennsylvania road safety; your behavior behind the wheel should reinforce your safety messages. Show you’re a smart driver by reducing distractions, controlling your emotions, and following traffic rules. Give your daughter an example she will want to emulate.
When your teenager is learning to drive in Pennsylvania, everything you do to get involved will pay off later in life. Unfortunately, all the precautions in the world cannot control every risk. If you or your daughter becomes a victim of a traffic accident in Dauphin County or the surrounding communities, you need information fast. Contact a auto accident lawyer in Harrisburg from Schmidt Kramer by calling 717-888-8888 or (717) 888-8888 toll-free to schedule a free, confidential case review. Just for calling, we will send you a FREE copy of our client book, Who Pays The Bills When You Are Injured In An Automobile Accident?, as an introduction to our firm.