Safe Driving Skills for Teens and a Free Downloadable Guide

As the parent of two sons of driving age ~ one who already has his license and one who has just turned 16 ~ I can't tell you how worried I was when my first started to drive and now, my second is getting the bug to drive.  You always want your kids to be safe, always.  When my oldest asked me to teach him to drive I felt a lump in my throat.  I was so afraid that I wouldn't teach him the right things or that I would leave something important (actually LOTS of important things) out of what I taught  him.  We instead opted for him to get driving lessons and some wonderful people from my church, who knew that I was a basket case about the entire situation, took him out for driving lessons several times as well.  Even then, with lots of driving hours and good instruction under his belt, I was nervous when he first drove on his own and when he bought his car.  

At the time my oldest son was learning to drive I hadn't heard about Ford Driving Skills for Life which is a wonderful program in which training is conducted in both hands-on and web-based curriculum and is available at no cost but thankfully, I know about it now and plan on using it to get my second son ready for the major step of getting a license.  

The goal of the program is to address both the inexperience factor as well as issues surrounding distracted driving {texting, using the cell phone, and having TOO many people in the car among other things}.  Distracted driving can lead to accidents which increase the cost of car insurance even if the people in the car are lucky enough not to get hurt badly. It's a program that has been in place for 10 years with outstanding results.  The best results are obtained when PARENTS and TEENS participate in instruction together.  It is so important that kids know their parents are not only behind them, but in the trenches with them, when it comes to something as important as driving.  The skills they learn now will last a lifetime.  

Staggering Statistics

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America.

Nearly 3,000 teens die annually in such accidents according to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The two major contributors to the above statistics:  1) The inexperience of young drivers, 2) Distraction and impaired driving.

Areas in Which the Program Helps to Improve Young Driver Skills

1)  Hazard recognition.

2)  Vehicle handling.

3)  Speed management.

4)  Space management.

5)  Distracted and impaired driving.

Learn more about the above here.

One of my favorite resources on the Driving Skills for Life site is a downloadable guide which is filled with great information:  the Parent's supervised driving program ~ A Requirement for Teen Licensing

The guide contains 13 Skill Lessons and is filled with details, tips and instruction.  It's 59 pages in length and I would highly recommend printing it out and having it spiral-bound to use as a guide while you and your young driver go through the licensing process together.