How do you know if your teen is ready to drive?

When it's time to teach your teenager to drive, parents should begin by taking the time to see that their teen is knowledgeable about and comfortable with the vehicle and its controls. 

Before you hit the road, start by training your teen on the basics: demonstrate how to adjust the seat and the side and rearview mirrors safely to fit their needs. Make any other accommodations that are necessary, such as tilting the steering wheel.

Take a few minutes to review the vehicle controls and demonstrate how each of these works: dashboard controls, steering wheel and seat adjustment, mirror adjustment, turn signals, headlights, safety features like air bags and seat belts, wipers, emergency lights, parking brake/release, starting/turning off the engine, gas and brake pedals, warning indicator lights on dashboard, and don’t forget to show your teen where the registration, insurance card and car manual are located.

For teens, dialing a phone while driving increases crash risk by six times and texting while driving increases crash risk by 23 times.

Source: https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving

According to the State Farm’s 2023 Distracted Driving Survey:

Respondents with less driving experience were more likely to report manually interacting with their cell phones while driving compared to drivers who had been licensed longer. And drivers who had been licensed from five years or less were significantly more likely to use smartphone apps, record videos, and watch videos while driving compared to drivers who had been licensed more than 10 years.

Here are a few TIPS of what you can do before letting your teenager get behind the wheel:
 

1. Talk to your teen about the rules and responsibilities involved in driving.
   
   
   1. Share stories about distracted driving
       
   2. Let them know their full attention is essential
       
2. Be a good role model by delivering consistent messages:
   
   
   1. Buckle up!
       
   2. Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times.
       
   3. Before letting your teenager get behind the wheel, go over this driver skills checklist.
      
      
      1. Teen Driving-101

Experienced drivers know driving at night is more difficult than during the day.

More than half of the State Farm survey respondents did not have nighttime driving practice when they were learning to drive and nearly half did not feel they had sufficient driving practice overall before getting a license. One quarter of respondents admitted to driving a car before they were legally able to do so.

Other important tips:

1. Make sure your young driver gets some night-driving experience so you’re both more comfortable with evening outings.
    
2. Learn about your state’s graduated driver licensing laws. GDL