Defensive Driving Tips For North Port Teens
Brian O Sutter
Traffic Accidents
Parents of North Port gain a whole new point if stress when their teens are getting ready to take to the road. Teens are the most likely demographic to experience an accident in North Port, and they’re the most likely to be involved in accidents resulting in serious or fatal injuries. Even the most responsible and naturally skilled teens lack experience, which puts them at immediate risk each time they get behind the wheel. So, what is a North Port parent to do? They want to allow their teens to experience the world and reach these milestones, but they also want to take a cautious approach in order to help their children build safe foundations as new drivers. Defensive driving tips can help, and teaching teens how to lessen their likelihood of not just causing an accident, but being involved in one as well.
A few defensive driving tips that are easy for parents to teach their new drivers are:
• Follow a 4-second rule – No driver can control the vehicle driving in front of them. That vehicle getting into an accident or having to make a sudden stop leaves the driver behind them having to think quickly in order to keep safe and avoid an accident themselves. For inexperienced teen drivers, following a 4-second rule can be crucial to keeping them safe.
The 4-second rule involves keeping a 4 second distance between yourself and the vehicle you’re following, so you have plenty of time to make a safe stop if necessary. For teens, a 4 second rule in regular road conditions or behind a standard vehicle is sufficient, with a 5-second rule when traveling behind motorcycles or during wet weather.
• Never depend on other drivers – One lesson that many teen drivers learn too late is that you can’t trust or depend on other drivers. Unfortunately, you cannot control other motorists on the road, and you need to be prepared for any situation or circumstance. Teens cannot expect other drivers to move over, allow them to merge, or yield. They cannot depend on other drivers to adhere to traffic lights or signs. Teens should be taught to be cautious in all situations and to prepare for the “just in case” should another driver behave negligently.
• Always think of safety first – Safety should always be the number one priority for teens on the road. This may mean having to pull over or remove yourself from the situation when in the presence of a negligent driver on North Port roadways, it could mean pulling over or parking in a nearby lot to wait out bad weather. Overconfidence can be fatal for teen motorists and learning respect for the dangers they may encounter on the road is important.
• No distraction is worth it – Distracted driving has grown to be a major issue for motorists of all ages, but no demographic is more affected than teens. Whether it’s taking a call, messing with the radio, or being engaged in conversation with passengers, every minor distraction puts teen drivers and others on the road with them at risk. Teaching teens that no distraction is worth the consequences can help them to think twice before they take their attention from the road even for a second.
Support If An Accident Occurs
Even the safest teen drivers in North Port can find themselves in an accident, and it helps that they learn the right way to approach this situation. To learn more about the importance of representation after a North Port accident, contact us at AllInjuriesLawFirm.com today.