Before You Give Your ‘Teen’ the Keys to the Car

Before You Give Your ‘Teen’ the Keys to the Car

It is an exciting time for teenagers when they can finally grab those car keys and head out onto the open road, without parents. They are youthful and bubbly and thrilled with the prospect of being able to blast the radio, open the windows and feel a sense of independence. Their parents, meanwhile, are a mess.

By the time those keys are jingling in their fingers, your teenager has hopefully been through the process of what it takes to earn the right to drive that car. We all know a lot goes into getting a driver’s license and driving a car. First, there’s education and training. Teens in Florida are required to take and pass a formal driver education course designed to provide both classroom and on-road instruction.

Key Points Your Teen Should Know Before Driving:

• Know how to Inspect the vehicle before getting in the car, such as checking for flat tires
• Preparation before starting the car: adjusting mirrors and seats and fastening the safety belt
• How to enter and exit rural roads, urban streets, and fast-paced highways
• Understand and know how to read road signs and traffic lights
• The correct way to signal a turn
• Parallel parking
• Handling emergency situations, such as flat tires, traffic accidents, and running out of gas

Your teen will also go through a process called graduated driver licensing, which consists of three phases: a learner’s permit, an intermediate permit, and a driver’s license. In addition, there are requirements placed on each permit, which means a teenager needs to have a learner’s permit for a certain amount of time before applying for an intermediate permit. Likewise, an intermediate permit is needed for a certain amount of time before applying for a driver’s license.

And long before you hand those keys over to your independent teen driver you need to get him or her out on the road to practice. Impress the need to pay attention to safety belt laws and to always inspect the car before heading out on the road. Make sure they understand the need to follow the rules: speed limits, traffic lights, traffic signs and signaling to the vehicle behind them when they plan to make a turn. This also includes never drinking and driving, and never riding with anyone who has been drinking or using any kind of drugs.

Most importantly, you teen should know the value of carrying a cell phone in case of emergency but should never use it – texting or otherwise – while driving. For your teenager’s personal injury protection in Ft Lauderdale, contact a personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group when you need to file a personal injury claim after an auto accident.

Hopefully that will never happen but life isn’t perfect — and neither is driving — especially for teenagers.