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Many parents today are apprehensive about handing over the car keys to their teenager, and rightfully so. Car crashes kill more teenagers every year in this country than guns, drugs, alcohol, suicide and violence combined.

Parents fear the worst, yet underrate their responsibility in assuring the driving safety of their children. Many feel it is the responsibility of driver education programs to teach their teens the rules of the road and how to handle a vehicle.

In reality, in every state, our teenagers get only 1 to 6 hours behind the wheel of a car in driver’s ed, barely enough time to understand the laws required to pass the driving exam and handle a car in the most basic of traffic situations. They need at least 30 to 50 hours behind the wheel to begin to understand and develop safe driving skills and how to deal with the real dangers of the road.

Parents have the ultimate responsibility to ensure their teens are properly educate with the skills and behaviors required to be safe and smart drivers. Timothy Smith, author of Crash Proof Your Kids, Make Your Teen a Safer, Smarter Driver believes “Either underestimating their role and lacking effective methods parents are failing to equip their teenagers with the skills to handle the single most dangerous thing they will ever do in their life and at their most risky age.”

After a rash of fatal car crashes in his neighborhood, all of which involved mistakes by teen drivers, Smith, a father of three teenagers, realized it was time to get involved in helping his own teenagers develop safe driving skills. When he tried to find information on the subject of safe driving, he found there was very little useful information available to teens and parents to take them well beyond basic driver’s ed.

Smith, an award-winning author and trained race car driver decided to do further research and created a step by step plan designed to Radically reduce teen automobile crashes. Following the Crashproof Plan he developed will give your teenager the skills needed to be successful drivers and survive in all adverse driving situations.

Here are just a few tips that you can put toward saving your teens life:

Sit down and discuss with your teen all the dangers and issues involved: speeding, road rage, drinking, drugs, distractions, cell phones, passengers, curfews etc. The steps to learning how to drive are complex but signing a Crashproof Contract to outline the boundaries, penalties, and incentives involved for driving decisions will help them understand the process.

Your teen’s participation in this process is the key to success. You must both agree to create a plan for your teen to safely assume the responsibility for use of a car. Remember, you’re on their side but they need to understand driving is probably the single most dangerous thing they will ever do.

It is important to always remain a positive role model. Your children learn from you, they will emulate the driving habits you have showed them long before it was even time for them to starting thinking about learning. You cannot expect your teenagers to get into the car, use their seat belts, and practice safe driving practices if they don’t see you doing the same thing.

Adhere to the speed limit, signal when turning, be a courteous driver and never use a cell phone while driving. Always keep in mind, your children are watching you, learning from your behavior and imitating you.

Keep communication lines open. That means try not to take a critical approach, but emphasize the need for safety and everyone’s commitment to training them to be safer, smarter drivers. When driving with your teen, set specific goals for each driving lesson and acknowledge accomplishments. Stay calm, focus on constructive comments and making your time together positive.You don’t want your teen to stop listening after all.

Take it step by step, using simple exercises that reinforce safe driving habits. Go over braking in emergency situations, drive in all types of inclement weather, drive in the dark, in the city and on the highway. Get them behind the wheel in every type of driving condition and help them with the specific challenges each different driving situation presents.

Following these proactive strategies will help your teenagers (and you) become safer, smarter drivers. The Crashproof Plan will better equip them to face any type of driving situation they will encounter when behind the wheel of a car. You will sleep better knowing that you did your part in giving your teenagers the skills they need to return home to you every time they take out the car.

Tags: Education