Recently, Toyota launched its TeenDrive365™ Campaign, giving parents tools to help them talk to their teenage kids during their first years behind the wheel.
We applaud all efforts to open the lines of communication between teenagers and their parents, especially when it comes to driving. As you know, the number one killer of American teens is automobile accidents. And sadly, most of these can be prevented with good driver’s education, personal responsibility, and the proper safety measures.
We at Safety 1st Driving School are doing our part to teach Orange County teenagers how to drive safely and responsibly on both city streets and freeways, during daylight and darkness, in good weather and bad. But parents are the most influential people in a teenager’s life – even more than their peers, believe it or not – so we urge and encourage Orange County parents to take an active role in your teen’s driver education.
The TeenDrive365™ website features daily tips, facts, and statistics which can be shared via email, Facebook, or Twitter. It also has a downloadable Mutual Driving Agreement, in which parents and teenagers BOTH agree to obey traffic laws, wear seat belts, avoid distractions, and never drive under the influence. (We especially like this one, because how many teenagers use their parents’ bad behavior as a way to justify their own?)
Please take a look at the TeenDrive365™ website, and let us know if you find anything especially helpful for talking to your teen about safe driving! In the meantime, here are a few of the tips and facts from the website:
1. You’re in control when you’re driving. Make sure to tell passengers that you need to focus on the road.
2. Your child learns from watching you, so be the driver you want your teen to be.
3. Parents use a hand-held cell phone more often than teens while driving.
4. A quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive.
5. If your teen makes a mistake while driving, ask them how they would do it differently in the future.
There are plenty more where that came from on the TeenDrive365™ website. Check it out!
Contact Safety 1st Driving School to sign your teenager up for the best driver’s education in Orange County and help make Orange County a better place – one safe driver at a time!