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Five key tips to follow when turning the car keys over to your teen



The clearer parents are in establishing driving rule, the safer teen drivers will be

teens, driving, safety, rules

So, your teen is ready to drive solo. What to do about your own fears as a parent?

Boys Town in Nebraska has come out with a five key tips all parents should keep in mind as they hand over the keys to their young ones.

1. Know the law. Research rules specific to your location and your teen’s age. This includes curfew for new drivers, regulations about how many people can be in the car with a new driver, texting and talking on the phone while driving, etc. Make sure your teen can recite these back to you — and revisit them often. Be abundantly clear that driving is a privilege, not a right, and he or she will lose car privileges immediately for violating any driving or traffic laws.

2. Review what your teens should do in the event of an accident — regardless of who’s at fault. Print the procedure out and put a copy in the car. Make sure your kids know where the registration and insurance cards are in the vehicle they’re using. Role play what to say and do if they’re involved in an accident.

READ MORE: Download this teen driving contract that sets rules for teens and parents alike

3. Increase teens’ driving privileges slowly. Safe driving takes both skill and good judgment, which develop with practice over time. Let them have the keys for some short runs—to school, the grocery store, etc. As they gain confidence and experience driving on their own, you and your teens can decide together how and when to increase their driving days and ranges.

4. Consider installing a GPS tracker for the vehicles your teens are driving. Or at least their phones. This increases peace of mind for both you and your new drivers. You’ll know where they are, and they’ll know you can find them if they get lost, run out of fuel, or have an emergency.

5. Decide ahead of time on who pays for what. Will you provide them with a vehicle? Do they need to pay for their own gas or auto insurance? Kids take privileges more seriously when they have some skin in the game. Making them responsible for some of the costs of driving helps teach responsibility.

Review these rules for the road early and often. Then hug your teens and tell them you’re proud of their growing independence




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