Talk to your teen about summer driving

As the summer season approaches, more teens will find themselves behind the wheel after school ends for summer break. While the freedom of driving a car is an exciting thing for many teens, it is also the second leading cause of death in teenagers. You can help keep your kids safe by sharing these tips to make them safer drivers on the road:

Put the phone away

One of the biggest mistakes that any driver can make while on the road is using their phone while driving. Updating your GPS on your phone or just reading a quick text can be enough of a distraction for anyone to suffer a major accident. Keep your cell phone out of reach by placing it in the glove compartment while driving.

Do not multitask

Eating, drinking, or fixing your appearance often requires one or both hands to do, which drivers should have on the wheel at all times. Do not limit your ability to drive so that you can eat while on the road. Filling one hand with a beverage or burger keeps you from safely making turn signals or using your windshield wipers.

Limit passengers in the car

It can seem tempting to fill your car with all of your friends and go on trips around town, but every additional passenger in your car is another opportunity for you to become too distracted to drive safely. The more people in your car, the more likely they are to become overexcited and cause a major accident.

Obey traffic laws

Speed limits, stop signs, and other traffic signals are in place to help safely control traffic. When a driver chooses to ignore those signs, they endanger themselves and everyone on the road around them. Do not make the mistake of speeding between lanes or ignoring stop signs just to get somewhere faster than necessary.

Do not take chances with your future

A day of fun is not worth a lifetime of consequences, so be sure you are doing everything in your power to be a safe driver to protect yourself and those around you while on the road. Before driving, take some time to ensure that you are not doing anything that can distract you from driving safely.