Few things are as stressful on a parent as letting a teen take the car out without any adult supervision. This rite of passage has to happen at some point, and if you do your job and prepare your teen for the responsibilities and all of the things that can happen when they're out and about, they'll be just fine. Here, you'll find a few tips to help you make sure that your teen driver knows what to do in the event of a roadside emergency.
Staying Safe
Breaking down along the road can be very dangerous in some situations. Does your teen know whether to stay in the car or get away from the car if it becomes disabled?
If it's not safe to stay in the car and if it's in a place where another car could easily come by and smash into it, the best thing to do is to get out of the car carefully and get off of the road away from the car. If someone does crash into it, your teen doesn't want to be standing anywhere near it.
Make sure that the car has a roadside emergency kit that includes hazard triangles and/or flares. Explain to your teen that they must do what they can to make the car visible to passing vehicles to avoid making things worse.
Changing a Tire
One thing that even many adults can't even do for themselves is changing a flat tire. Does your teen know how to change a tire? Does your teen even know where all of the stuff is in the car that they'll need to change the tire?
Take the time to teach your kid how to change the tire on the vehicle that they'll be driving. Many people don't realize that the spare tire on an SUV or van may actually be stored underneath the back of the vehicle while the jack and tools are kept inside hidden compartments in the back of the vehicle.
Have your teen watch one tire change and then do one on their own. This is too common of a roadside problem to fail to learn how to do.
Roadside Assistance
Provide your teen with at least one good contact for a roadside assistance company. Not only should they store that number in their cell phone, but it should be put on a sticker on one of the windows of the car. This way, if they lock their phone in the car with their keys, they still have the contact number and can borrow a phone to call for help.
Talk to your teen about the dangers or roadside emergencies and how they should handle them as safely as possible.
Share19 February 2019
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