20 Things Your Teen Driver Should Know Before You Let Them Get Behind The Wheel: A Personal Injury Lawyer’s Perspective

Many teens are going to get a big Christmas gift this year – a car! Per the New York Times, gift sales make up 10% or more of automotive sales in December, and some of those will be from a mom and dad to a new driver. Whether they worked and saved up to get it for themselves, whether their parents purchased it for them new or used, or whether it is a parent’s car being given to them to drive, there will be more teens driving on their own in the New Year. 

For some parents, this is a bittersweet milestone – it can be emotional to watch your baby drive off for the first time and not need you to drive them around anymore. Wasn’t it just yesterday that you were putting them rear-facing in the backseat while they giggled at you in the mirror? On the other hand, you’re going to suddenly have a lot of time back on your hands – no more carting them off to school, to the beach, to work, to friend’s houses. Freedom! 

The other emotion you may be experiencing is anxiety, but this one has some merit to it.

Teen drivers are involved in accidents (and cause accidents) at a higher rate because of their inexperience and lack of developed driving skills. They are more easily distracted, more prone to speeding, and more prone to errors. 

Nationwide, drivers age 16 and 17 have the highest crash rate of any age group; in Florida in particular, teens age 18 and 19 have the highest crash rate, even compared to seniors (per the Teen Safe Driving Coalition). Florida is actually the 9th deadliest state for teen drivers. In 2020, motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death nationwide among 13-19 year olds (per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). 

All those statistics to say – your teen faces some real dangers on the road. If you are giving them a car, or letting them get one themselves, the best way to keep them safe and reduce your own anxiety is to prepare them! 

As personal injury lawyers who have been representing auto accident victims for over 38 years in Florida, we compiled this list of 20 things that your teen should know before you let them get behind the wheel. 

1- How To Operate Their Car Correctly

Every vehicle is different, and your teen needs to know everything about how theirs works so they can drive it safely in all situations. Even if it seems obvious, or you think they learned it in driver’s ed class, take the time to go over the basics – where the windshield wipers are, where the blinkers are, where the emergency and parking brakes are, how to turn on the headlights, etc. 

2- That They Should Always Call The Police If They Get Into An Accident

Make sure your teen knows that regardless of the circumstances, if they’re involved in an accident, they have to call the police! Many times, teen drivers are taken advantage of by older drivers who were actually at fault for a crash and don’t want a ticket, or negative marks on their insurance, or want a chance to sue to make money.

They may come to your teen asking for sympathy, saying something along the lines of “Please don’t call the police, let’s just work it out between ourselves – the damage doesn’t look that bad! Here, I’ll give you my information and our insurance can take care of it, or I’ll pay you cash later.” Or they may bully your teen, who is likely scared and nervous, into believing that it was their fault, when it was actually theirs. 

Unfortunately, people aren’t always honest, and they have their best interests at heart rather than your teen’s. There is no way to verify that they are giving correct information. If there isn’t an official police report of the incident, later on they could lie about what happened and it will just be their word against your teen’s. Explain that to your child so they are aware of the importance of this! Remind them that even if they were at fault, a police report is still important to have, and they shouldn’t be scared because you will help them work it out after the fact. 

3- That They Should Never Leave The Scene Of An Accident, Regardless Of Whether They Caused It

This one goes hand in hand with calling the police – your teen, whether or not they caused the crash, and even if it was just a teeny tiny fender bender, is legally required to stay at the scene of the accident (as long as it is safe to do so) and make sure the other person is okay, or leave their information. In Florida, this includes parking lot situations, where no one is around, and incidents involving pets.

It’s illegal to leave the scene, and could result in jail time, fines, and a damaged criminal record. Remind your teen that their natural response, especially if they were at fault, might be to panic and want to flee, but they need to stay; it’s not only the law, but it could also save someone’s life if someone needs help, and it is also the right thing to do. 

4- That Their Car Needs Regular Maintenance

Many teens are so excited to drive that they only think about the driving part – not about all the rest that goes along with a car, like maintenance! Your teen needs to know when to get an oil change for their vehicle, when to change the various fluids, when to get new windshield wipers, when to change the brakes, etc. Teach them about how often and where to take care of their car! 

5- How To Fill A Gas Tank Safely

Your teen should know how to fill their car up with gas (or charge it, if it’s electric!). Again, you might think this is self-explanatory or that your teen already knows, but they might never have done so on their own, and you’d be astounded – or maybe not! – at how little your teen may have paid attention to how you did it all those years! They need to turn the car completely off while filling the tank, they shouldn’t top it off, and they shouldn’t get back in their vehicle while it’s filling up. Explain the hazards associated with not doing it correctly! 

6- That They Should Never Drink And Drive – It’s Potentially Deadly And Illegal. 

This is one that every teen knows they shouldn’t do, but it’s easy to be peer pressured into it by friends or because they think that they’ll get in trouble if they call you or an Uber, or for a variety of other reasons. Try to impress upon your teen the danger – to themselves and to other innocent people – of getting behind the wheel tipsy, buzzed, drunk, drugged, or otherwise intoxicated. Set up a system where they can feel comfortable calling you to pick them up, even if they were drinking illegally. You can deal with the consequences later, but the most important thing is keeping them off the roads if they have been drinking. More than a third of fatal motor vehicle crashes among people aged 16-20 involved alcohol. 

7- How To Handle It When Friends Want To Drive Under The Influence

Even if your teen is a straight arrow, this is a challenge that they may inevitably face at some point – one of their friends has been drinking and wants to drive, and the other people seem okay with it. What should they do? You need to help your teen think through this situation before they find themselves in it, because if you don’t, they may be pressured into getting in the car. Help them think through responses, alternatives, and solutions – maybe they offer to drive, maybe they call you, maybe they fake an upset stomach – but they should not get in the car with someone who is drunk driving. 

8- That Texting Can Wait. 

A recent poll found that 97% of teen drivers agree that texting and driving is dangerous, but 43% admitted to doing it anyway. Every teen thinks that they are the exception to the rule, but sending a text or responding to a text takes their eyes off the road, and it only takes a second for conditions to change. They could seriously injure (or kill) themself or others, and it’s not worth it for a text! Voice texting is an option, or bluetooth, or simply waiting until the next red light or until they reach their destination. No message is so important it can’t wait a few minutes! 

9- That Distracted Driving Isn’t Just Texting

Some teens think that as long as they don’t text, they can avoid distracted driving and its dangers, but distracted driving encompasses more than just being on the phone. It’s also putting makeup on or fixing their hair, eating food, navigating, and talking with friends in the car, or listening to loud music. Try to find a creative way to impress upon your teen that any form of distracted driving, whether it involves texting or not, needs to be avoided. This organization has many helpful suggestions! 

10- How Far The Car Travels In Just A Few Seconds At Normal Speeds (What A Safe Following Distance Really Looks Like)

The car is going a lot faster than your teen probably realizes when they are driving it, and they also probably don’t realize how far the car travels in the time it takes them to stop safely. Studies show that it takes the average driver (not a teen driver!) from half a second to 3/4ths of a second to perceive a need to hit the brakes, and another 3/4th of a second to move their foot from the gas to the brake pedal; that’s before the vehicle even starts to slow. Going only 30mph, that makes the overall stopping distance about 89 feet (or a little more). At 60mph, that’s 268 feet – the length of 18 cars! When you double the speed, the total stopping distance triples! (And again, these are normal conditions – not rainy ones). 

That’s why it’s so important for teens to keep their speed down, look far ahead to increase their warning time, move their feet off the gas and on the brake at the first sign of slowing down, and not be distracted or texting so that they have adequate time to react. It’s really important that you show them what a safe following distance looks like – the three second rule may prove helpful. Teens should never follow a car so closely that they can’t brake safely in time to avoid hitting it! This YouTube video, or others like it, may prove helpful in explaining the concept.

11- That Having Friends In The Car Is Risky

Studies have shown that the crash risk doubles when teens drive with one peer passenger, and triples with two or more teen passengers. Friends are distracting! Consider setting rules around who your teen can drive with and when, but if your teen has to drive with friends, they should keep the music and conversation to a minimum if possible (unlikely with friends in the car, though – but they should at least be aware of what the research shows). 

12- That They Should Never Say “Sorry” If They’re In An Accident

When teens are in an accident, their instinct may be to apologize to the other driver, but even if they don’t mean that they are sorry because they caused it (that they are sorry because it just happened), their words can be mistaken as apology rather than sympathy, and the other driver can use this against them later in an insurance claim or when the police arrive. Even if your teen believes that they are at fault for a crash they are involved in, they don’t have all of the information at the time they are in a wreck. They may have made a mistake, but the other driver may also have made mistakes that contributed to the collision. 

Teach them instead to ask if the other driver is alright, keep quiet in the face of accusations, and to simply call you and the police. While they’re waiting, they can keep quiet or make other conversation.

13- How To Drive In Inclement Weather

At some point, especially living in Florida, your teen will have to drive in a storm or in rain. Your teen needs to know that if they turn on their wipers, they have to turn their headlights on (required by Florida law). They should drive much slower than normal conditions, because it will take them longer to brake. They should never drive through flooded areas (an electrocution risk). If traffic lights are out due to the weather, they should treat it as a four-way stop sign. They can turn on their hazard lights in extremely low visibility if they are on a road where the speed limit is above 55 mph (a recent change to Florida law), but probably do not need to do this; it is best to keep driving if they are able to do so, albeit more slowly.

14- That They Can’t Assume Other Drivers Will Do The Right Thing

Even if your teen does everything right in every situation, other drivers won’t, and your teen needs to know good defensive driving strategies! They should have the mentality that other drivers are going to mess up – that means not immediately going forward at a green light (checking both ways first), not assuming a blinker on means the car is turning until they see the vehicle actually turn, etc. 

15- That Putting On Their Seatbelt May Save Their Life

Data shows that seatbelts reduce the risk of injury and fatality by half (45-50%). Even if they are just going a short distance, teens need to buckle up! It’s the law, and can be lifesaving. Make sure your teen knows just how important it is to wear one, and consider making rules around it or looking for other ways to motivate them! 

16- That Driving At Night Is More Dangerous

Limited visibility and drowsiness make nighttime more dangerous for teen drivers. 62% of teen crash deaths occur between 6pm and 6am. That’s why Florida’s GDL (graduated driver’s license) laws impose curfews on 16 and 17 year olds! However, some teens are exempt because they are driving home from work, but the risk still remains. Warn your teen about driving too late, and try to restrict the amount they do have to. 

17- What To Do If They’re Stopped By A Police Officer

Seeing flashing red, white, and blue lights in their rearview mirror can cause your teen to panic, but it’s important that they stay calm and know what to do if a police officer pulls them over! They should immediately find a place to pull over, turn on their interior lights (if at night), get their driver’s license and registration and proof of insurance out (and they should know where that is), place their hands on the steering wheel, and comply with all of the officer’s instructions. They should never try to argue the citation, if they receive one – they can argue it later. They should comply with the officer’s instructions even if they feel they are unfair. 

18- The Real Dangers Of Road Rage

31 percent of teens say that they have retaliated when provoked by another driver, or experienced road rage themselves. However, road rage – whether it’s your teen having it, or another driver using it against them – is dangerous. Road rage incidents caused 218 murders and 12,610 injuries over a seven-year period, and 2021 saw a particularly fatal year for drivers due to gun violence. 

This is scary, and unfortunate, but your teen can stay out of these incidents by driving carefully and respectfully, and not responding to other drivers who may be acting aggressively. For example, they should never flick another driver off or cut them off intentionally, and if another driver starts yelling at them or inciting them, they should try to get out of the situation safely or call 9-1-1. 

19- What To Do When The Check Engine Light Comes On

Just like your teen needs to know about car operation and maintenance, they need to know about all the lights on the dashboard – particularly the “check engine” light – what the lights mean, and what to do when they come on. Usually, they need to call you, but they may need to drive it to an automotive repair shop as soon as possible in order to avoid damaging the vehicle. In some cases, they should pull over at a gas station or store before continuing to their destination just to make sure the vehicle is okay. 

20- That You Care About Them. 

Parenting teens can be hard, and they might be less than thrilled about all the rules you’re imposing on them, but more than anything, they should know that you care about them and have their safety at heart. They need to know that no matter where they drive, you will always be waiting for them to come back home! Having these conversations mentioned above can help your teen arrive back home safely. 

The Florida Law Group Cares About Teen Drivers

At The Florida Law Group, we have a special heart for teen drivers and their parents. If your teen is ever involved in a crash where they were injured, call us to learn how we can help you with your insurance claim.