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My daughter recently turned 16 and enrolled in driving school. She took her driving test and obtained a perfect score. My husband and I, intending to ensure her safety, immediately vowed never to let her use the car. We felt this was the best way to ensure our daughter continued to drive safely after earning her driver's license. We found this vow difficult to enforce and upon reflection, decided it was a bit extreme. The following are the alternate efforts we have implemented to ensure our daughter is a safe driver:

1. Limit the number of passengers allowed in the car. A car full of teens can distract even a seasoned driver. We would have limited the number of passengers allowed in the car to the number of seat belts available. Our views are liberal in the community where we live. A recent law allows only one non family passenger in a car driven by a 16 year old driver. So our daughter is limited, by law, to her sister and one friend as passengers when she drives. Other areas that have similar laws have found a decrease in teen car accidents. While I feel our law is overly restrictive, decreasing the total number of teenagers in a car is a positive safety tip for any driver.

2. Drive with your teen. We allow our teen to drive even when we are passengers in the car. This allows us to keep watch on her driving skills and notice any developing bad habits.

3. Enforce local curfew laws in your home. Our daughter must be home by midnight. This ensures she is off the road well before the late night crowd is on the road. It also prevents our daughter from driving if she is too tired to drive.

4. Emphasize driving is a privilege that can be taken away. This gives your child incentive to obey traffic laws and regulations. Remind your child that her parents may inflict harsher penalties than those imposed when cited for a traffic violation.

5. Respect your teen. If you respect them, they do not want to lose that respect. Trust your teen until that trust is broken. Most times children will behave as expected, so expect the best.

6. Do not tolerate drugs or alcohol in the car. Our daughter has been informed that if she is caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol she will no longer have the privilege of driving one of our vehicles. We do not condone teenage use of drugs or alcohol. We are aware teens do drink and use drugs. If our daughter allows any of her friends, or if she herself, engages in this type of behavior in our vehicle, she will not be allowed to drive. We make sure she knows this.

7. Know where your teen is going and the names of her passengers. Access to a car does not mean access to the world. Demand to know where your teen is driving to, and require notification if plans change. This allows a parent to have a fragile hold on where their teen is driving and a general idea of where she can be found.

8. Discourage cell phone use while driving. This may mean Mom and Dad should
refrain from calling while your teen is in transit.

Remember, your teen is licensed to drive. They have been adequately trained. You only need to worry until they get home.

Learn more about this author, Kelly Moser.
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