Your child is likely to be excited when they get their driver’s license. They may have a host of plans they intend to put into action.
Yet, as excited as you might be that you no longer need to chauffeur them around, it is in everyone’s interests that you let your kid know a license does not give them carte blanche to do as they please.
A license does not mean they are a great driver
While it is the state that says your child is officially OK to drive, it is your child. You know them better than anyone else, so consider placing limits on their driving as you see fit. At least for a while.
- No phones: Telling a teenager to put their phone down might feel like banging your head against a brick wall. Yet, if they do not put it down while driving, they might well hit a brick wall, another vehicle, a pedestrian or anything else in the area.
- No driving at night: While this might entail you playing chauffeur for a few more months, it is essential to remember that driving at night is riskier and more challenging.
- No filling the car with friends: Surely the point of being able to drive as a teen is to cram your friends into the car and go have some fun? The problem is that friends can be distracting. Consider limiting it to one person at a time until you are confident your child has the ability and maturity to focus on the road and stay within the law even when their friends are encouraging them to pull donuts or see how fast this machine can move.
Your child might get upset that you are trying to limit their newfound freedom, yet parenting is full of such decisions. However confident your child feels in their driving abilities, they need to understand that the roads are full of other drivers who may be less safe. If despite your best efforts, another driver injures your child, you need to find out more about claiming compensation.
