Safe driving tips for teens, parents, and all drivers

• Always wear your seat belt--and make sure all passengers buckle up, too.
• Adjust your car's headrest to a height behind your head--not your neck--to minimize whiplash in case you're in an accident.
• Never try to fit more people in the car than you have seatbelts for them to use.
• Obey the speed limits, Going too fast gives you less time to stop or react. Excess speed is one of the main causes of teenage accidents.
• Don't run red lights.
• Use turn signals to indicate your intention to turn or to change lanes. Turn it on to give the cars behind you enough time to react before you take the action. Also, make sure the signals turns off after you've completed the action.
• When light turns green, make sure intersection clears before you go.
• Don't drive like you own the road; drive like you own the car.
• Make sure your windshield is clean. At sun rise and sun set, light reflecting off your dirty windshield can momentarily blind you from seeing what's going on.
• Drive into your garage straight, not on an angle. Another teen thought her car would straighten out before she got inside, but instead she dented the car and broke the molding on the garage.
• Make sure your car has gas in it. Don't ride around with the gauge on empty--who knows where you might get stranded.
• Don't drink and drive, and don't ride with anyone who has been drinking. Call parents or friends to take you home if you need a ride.
• Don't take drugs or drive if you've taken any. Don't ride with anyone who has been using drugs. Even some over the counter drugs can make you drowsy. Check label for warnings.

More tips farther down

• Don't blast the radio. You might miss hearing a siren or a horn that could warn you of possible trouble.
• Make sure your garage door is completely open before backing out of it. This was submitted by another teen who learned this one from his dad's mistakes.
• Don't drive with small children or even small teenage friends as passengers in a front seat that has a passenger-side air bag. They should be buckled up in the back seat. Recent transportation studies show that small children may be injured by the air bags even in low impact collisions. (Actually, it's safer not to drive with friends and kids in the car when you're learning to drive. They can be distracting.)
• Don't talk on the car phone, put on make-up, comb your hair, or eat while driving. People who talk on car phones while driving are four times more likely to have an accident. If you need to make a call, pull off the road to a safe spot and park.
• Don't leave your car in cruise control when you're driving late at night or when you're tired. If you fall asleep at the wheel, the car will crash at the speed you've set your control to maintain. We've learned of two local teens who crashed into a tree (one died and the other is in critical care) at 60 mph when the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
• Don't fiddle with the radio while you are driving. It's better to wait until you can pull over and stop because even taking your focus off the road for a few seconds could lead to an accident.
• Use good quality tires and make sure they are inflated to the right pressure (check your owners manual for what is right for your tires and car). Many visitors to this page have recommended radial tires and in some states, radials are ok to use in snow emergency conditions. Check your state to see what the requirements are for driving in snow.
• Maintain your car. Bald tires, a slipping transmission, or a hesitant engine could lead to accidents.
• Use headlights during daylight driving, especially on long stretches of desert highway and rural roads to make you more visible to oncoming drivers.
• Many visitors have suggested selecting a designated driver when going out for a night on the town with friends. This person does not drink and has the responsibility of getting people home safely. (Drinking and driving DO NOT MIX)
• Watch out for potholes, especially after bad weather
• Be on the lookout for motorcycles, bikes, and pedestrians
• When driving to a new place, get complete directions before you go. Figure out what exits you need to take before hand. One visitor hit a divider at an exit ramp location after being told too late that this was the place to get off the highway.
• If your car has been parked outside during a snow storm, check the exhaust pipes to make sure they are clear before starting up the car.  Several teens have died in the recent East Coast snow storms from carbon monoxide poisoning because their pipes were blocked with snow.  Also check if you back up into a snow bank.

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