What we say in group: If you do not see responsible behavior out of you children at home- don't expect responsible behavior when they are alone out on the highway in your vehicle. Sure, it's convenient when your teen starts driving and suddenly you have the freedom to stay home and to not drive them all around...
...but the car is the most dangerous place. Trusting them to make good decisions out on the highway is perhaps the most risky decision that parents can make. Of course if you have any suspicion that your teen is still abusing drugs then it is a recipe for disaster to put them behind the wheel of a car- but even if you do not suspect current drug abuse your teen is still at risk on the highway. Driving takes good judgement. The younger a driver is the less likely that he will be a mature driver. Even so, look for evidence that your teen either is or is not responsible at home and at school. Does he follow the house rules? Does he responsibly do his chores? Does he present an attitude to you when confronted about his basic responsibilities? If the answer to any of the questions are "yes" then perhaps it is too soon to allow him to drive the car by himself.
Still, you may believe that your teen is a responsible, good driver and you decide to extend to him or her driving privileges. What can you do to monitor his driving?
1. Keep track of mileage by monitoring the odometer. How far he goes in the car can give you a good idea whether or not he is going where he says he is going. Make it clear that just riding around is not acceptable. He must have a destination and not veer from that destination.
2. If your child has a mobile phone you can enable GPS tracking for the phone and in that way monitor his whereabouts.
3. There are systems that can be installed on cars to monitor speeds and aggressive driving styles such as hard braking. I have no experience with these devices and therefore can not recommend one; however, here is a link to one that appears to be popular. http://www.roadsafety.com/teen.php?loc=interstitialskip
Here is another that I came across: http://www.globaltrackinggroup.com/sub_parentskids.cfm
Teen Driving
Posted by:Lloyd Woodward--Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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1 comment:
Sometimes we think it's an inconvenience driving an addict around (and it can be); but let's not forget the innocent life that could be taken by that addict. I would rather have the inconvenience than a death.
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