THEA Tip – Teaching Teens to be Courteous Drivers

Teaching Teens to be Courteous Drivers

When we are teaching teens to drive, we first focus on the basics of driving this major piece of machinery we call a car. It is not easy! There are the rules of the roads, the keen skill of focus, attentiveness, hand-eye coordination and the ability to react and adjust to conditions in real time. And on top of all that, we also need them to learn that there are some manners required when driving. Just like when they were little and you taught them to say please and thank you. This learning helped them be better people and learn valuable social skills. Teaching them courteousness and manners when they drive is very similar. We all benefit.

Here are our 5 tips for teaching your teen road manners:

1. Always use your signal – Indicating when you will be turning and where is a valuable courtesy that makes our roads much safer.
2. Give space between cars – When you ride someone’s bumper, this creates stress and anxiety for the other driver. Let’s make sure we teach proper space between cars will keep everyone calmer and safer.
3. Do not go slow in the left lane – The left lane is supposed to be moving at a quicker pace. Make sure your teen driver knows that they should be in one of the right lanes to allow for smoother flowing traffic.
4. Keep radio levels moderate – Teen drivers tend to love their music but blasting it can be rude in neighborhoods or even feel like noise pollution at certain lights. Teach them proper levels to enjoy but not distract.
5. Yield right of way when necessary – Sometimes letting another driver have the right of way is the right thing to do.

Let’s teach them road manners are simply a natural part of driving. A courteous driver is more relaxed and will be impactful on keeping our roadways safer and kinder. #LoveYourDrive #CourtesyCounts #BeKind