teen driving Archives - Have Sippy Will Travel

5 Things Parents of Teen Drivers Can Do to Keep Them Safe on the Road

There comes a time in every parent’s life when their children are going to get behind the wheel and start driving. This is a nerve wracking time for many parents, but you can make it easier on your self and your kids. Follow these 5 suggestions to keep your teen drivers safe on the road when they start driving.

Enforce a No Phone Rule
One of the biggest dangers to teens and older drivers alike on the road is cell phone use behind the wheel. Mobile phones have worked their way into almost every aspect of life for many of us, and the risks of talking and texting behind the wheel have led legislators in many areas to pass laws against drivers using cell phones. Set your own ground rules about using phones while driving. Your teens shouldn’t be answering any calls while they’re driving–not even your calls.
Talk About Intoxication
Like many parents, you may be shocked to learn that kids are partaking in underage drinking all over the country. This isn’t a new phenomenon, but it is one that parents rightly rail against in every generation. Talk to your teens about the dangers of driving under the influence. Not only is it illegal, [Read more…]

How Well Do Driving Schools Prepare Teens for the Road?

Parents are naturally concerned when their kids inexplicably become teenagers
(weren’t they just in diapers?!) and start clamoring for a driver’s license. And since
most parents don’t have the constitution to withstand driving lessons without turning
their teens into nervous wrecks (kicking the floorboards on the passenger side like they
can slow the vehicle with a phantom brake pedal), the obvious alternative is to send
kids off to driving schools where all of the instructors appear to exist in a preternatural
state of calm. But you may be asking yourself, against your better judgment, whether or
not these schools adequately prepare your teen for the road (I say against your better
judgment because if you deem the driving school to be substandard, the alternative may
be that you have to teach your child to drive). So here’s the skinny on what most driving
schools will deliver when it comes to putting your teen behind the wheel.

In truth, it depends on the venue. If your child is able to take a driver’s education
course offered by his high school, he is likely to receive more comprehensive instruction
than the average driving school offers. This is because he will receive extensive lessons
in the classroom setting before heading out in a vehicle. These lessons will likely cover
information that will be on the written test (since most students must get a driving permit
before they are allowed to operate a vehicle), as well as some videos (does anyone else
remember the “crash” video? – my teacher threw a chair down the aisle and scared the
heck out of everyone). AAA also offers a fairly academic course that includes 30 hours
in the classroom and 6-10 hours of lessons on the road (although it is rather expensive,
even [Read more…]