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Hitting the Road
What Parents Need to Know About Teens Behind the Wheel
By Jennifer Nelson
The AAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are currently designing a state-of-the-art driver education curriculum that they hope will become part of the GDL program. Driver education focuses on defensive driving. The skills taught, such as anticipating problems and knowing how to correct them, are crucial abilities for teen drivers to master.
Under close supervision, teens need practice with slow-speed maneuvers on an open snow- or ice-covered parking lot. Have your teen practice hard breaking and steering in skidding situations. Make sure tires and brakes are in top condition. Always make sure the vehicle is equipped with the proper emergency gear for winter, including a flashlight, blankets, jumper cables, sand and a small shovel or ice scraper. And finally, teach teens to use far more caution during hazardous winter conditions.
"If the signs say slow down, go even slower than you really think is necessary," Cooper says.
Preventing teen drivers from becoming statistics and helping them master the skills needed for good driving is the goal of both parents and organizations such as the AAA and NHTSA. Through strict parental rules, continued practice and education, state programs like GDL and driver education classes, parents and teens can work together to put teens on the road to safe driving.
