Rules of the Road: Teen Driving Contract

“I’m going to set this cup of coffee down right here on the dashboard.  If we can drive without you spilling a drop of it, I will take you for your driving test.”

And that’s the curveball my father threw at me the day I turned 16.

Doesn’t seem that bad, does it? Well, it was in a MANUAL 1990 Suzuki Samurai. As in stick-shift!!??

Truth be told, I don’t think my dad thought I could do it. Ha. Proved him wrong.

You see, I was determined.  Determined to HAVE my driver’s license in hand the day I turned 16.  And I did.

As a mom to a almost 15 year old, the thought of her driving a car is a bit terrifying to me.  Maybe it’s because she’s my first child.  Maybe I’m nervous about all the terrible drivers I see daily on the road.  Or maybe it’s because I knew how determined I was to have it and excited to be a new driver.  Regardless of how I am feeling, the time is going to come where she will be driving.  And the best thing I can do is prepare her to be a safe driver.

In talking with fellow parents, most of us are concerned to let our kids drive out of the driveway alone for the first time.  I have spoken with several “new teen driver” parents and sought out their advice to come up with a contract that my children will have to follow once they become drivers.

Rules of the Road: Teen Driving Contract

Beyond what our state laws require a new teen driver to follow, our teens will have the following steps they must go through as they become new drivers:

First 30 days:

• Obey all the safety rules you learned in driving classes.
• No music while driving.
• No one under 18 rides in the car with you.
• No food or drink while driving.
• No highway driving (unless with an adult).
• No driving after dark.
• Invite Mom or Dad to drive with you once a week.
• Do not drive in rainy weather.
• Cell phone goes into the glove box while the car is in motion.

Second 30 days:

• You earned Music!
• You may now drive your siblings. But no one else may ride in the car.
• You may now drive after dark.
• Obey all the safety rules you learned in driving classes.
• No food or drink while driving.
• No highway driving (unless with an adult).
• Invite Mom or Dad to drive with you once a week.
• Do not drive in rainy weather.
• Cell phone goes into the glove box while the car is in motion.

Third 30 days:

• You may drive in rainy weather.
• You may now drive on the highway.
• You may only drive your siblings.
• Obey all the safety rules you learned in driving classes.
• No food or drink while driving.
• Invite Mom or Dad to drive with you once a week.
• Cell phone goes into the glove box while the car is in motion.

90 Days and Beyond:

• You may drive with one person (other than your siblings) in the car. (Texas law is the first 6 months)
• Obey all the safety rules you learned in driving classes.
• No food or drink while driving.
• Cell phone goes into the glove box while the car is in motion.

With this simple 90 day contract, we are slowly adding in all potential distractions by gradually allowing privileges in the car.  No music or passengers for the first month allows a new teen driver to fully focus on the road and get that experience under their belt before we allow the distractions into the car.  As you can see, there are a few non-negotiables that we hope to create a life-long habit out of, most notably the cell phone in the glove box.  It is our hope that adage “out of sight, out of mind” will work in this case.

Sharing Safety with Michelin

It is our desire to teach our children to drive safely and I was honored to be asked to be a part of a project with Michelin to help teach our teenage drivers safer ways to drive.  As scary as this statistic is, we need to know it:

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Car crashes remain the No. 1 killer of teens, with 2,614 teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.[/dropshadowbox]

Michelin is launching a project to crowdsource the best advice for staying safe of the road. They’re asking America to share tips based on what they’ve been taught and what they’ve learned over the years using the hash tag #SharingSafety.

I would love to hear your advice as to how to teach our kids to drive safely on the roads.  How did you teach your teenage drivers?  What was the best advice you were ever given?  Share it below in a comment and join us on Thursday as we talk #SharingSafety on Twitter from 9-10 PM EST.  One lucky winner will get a chance to win a set of Michelin tires!

Michelin Tires Giveaway

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 18-24. And in support of this, Michelin is giving away a set of tires! Enter to win this $600 certificate with the Rafflecopter below and join us on Thursday night as we discuss the best tips you ever received to become a safe driver.  Click on the “RSVP” button in the widget to open up all the other ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Michelin Tires. All opinions are my own.