by Louis Albornoz

Created on: April 25, 2007   Last Updated: May 13, 2007

The best way to ensure that your teen drives safely after getting their driver's license is to make sure they understand that driving is a serious responsibility. If your teenager truly understands this concept and they are mature-minded to begin with, they will most likely practice safe driving.

In order for anyone to practice safe driving, they must first learn safe driving skills. The more driver education your teen has, the less likely it is that they will be involved in an accident. Basic driver ed. may be enough to get a driver's license but it does not make you the safest driver possible. If you want your teen to be a safe driver, you should enroll them in one or more advanced courses at a professional driving school.

In lieu of professional driving school, there are many excellent books on the topic of safe driving. Purchasing a few of these books and having your teen read them will go a long way towards keeping them safe on the road.

If your teenager is immature and/or you have doubts about whether they will drive responsibly or not, there are tools available at your disposal to enforce their safe driving.

If you want to prevent your teen from driving while they are drunk, you can install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle. This is assuming you own the car they will be driving. An ignition interlock device works very much like an in-car Breathalyzer and it does not allow the vehicle to start if the driver's blood alcohol content is over a certain limit. Teenagers are prone to drinking due to peer pressure and an ignition interlock helps to prevent their drunk driving.

If you want to prevent your teen from speeding and driving recklessly, you can install a rev-limiter in their vehicle. Again, this only applies if you own the car they will be driving. Most modern cars have programmable ECU's (engine control units) and depending on the model, you can purchase hardware and software that will limit the vehicle's maximum acceleration rate and top speed. On some vehicles, you may need to swap in a different ECU chip to achieve the same effect. There are plenty of companies that offer what I call "vehicular nanny" products and services.

Ignition interlocks and rev-limiting hardware and software can be purchased on the Internet and at select retail outlets.

Hopefully, you have a close relationship with your teen that is based on respect and trust. If you make your safe driving expectations clear to your child, they are more likely to observe your wishes. A teenager should only be allowed to drive if they have demonstrated responsible behavior in the past. If you feel your child cannot handle the responsibility of driving, do not let them drive until they become more mature and/or earn the privilege of driving. The safety of everyone else on the road depends on your decision.

Learn more about this author, Louis Albornoz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.