My friend Ashley and I were having a conversation about teenagers and parenting when she explained a program for teenagers who are about to get their drivers license.
Ashley Snell is an insurance agent for State Farm. Before insuring new drivers, Ashley sits down with them and discusses a myriad of safety issues along with showing them a video—all part of the “Steer Clear Safe Drivers Discount Prograrm.” Ashley gets real with kids and is one more voice, besides the parents, that teens will hear before they embark on their journey as a driver of an automobile.
The discussion prompted a few of my own thoughts:
Simply by virtue of their developmental stage, teens question and challenge everything; i.e. rules and authority (among others). It is often said that teens think they know everything. While that statement is not entirely exaggerated the opposite is also true.
Teens are aware that they don’t know everything and are still very interested (although they will never let you see this side of them) in learning.
A couple of stories with a few good tips:
1. I knew a teenager who would “borrow” the family car without permission.
Tip: hold on to the car keys and please be vigilante, know where your teen is and what s/he is doing and don’t, please don’t assume, that because s/he is a “good kid” s/he will always make great choices.
2. I knew a teenager who got a speeding ticket in the first month of driving.
Tip: don’t hesitate to over supervise your teen’s driving in the first months—go out with your child and observe—perhaps you sit with a newspaper in the passenger or back seat with a goal of observing your child’s instincts and tendencies while behind the wheel. When you get home, turn your observations into “teachable moments” sharing just a few of your thoughts. Remember to keep your comments brief.
If you would like to learn more about Ashley’s program please feel free to contact her at ashley@sandydodd.com over at State Farm Insurance.
cbessette
4 comments
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July 8, 2009 at 7:53 am
Maurice Tuff
Couldn’t agree more with this article. Specifically the point “don’t hesitate to over supervise your teen’s driving in the first months”. Unfortunately, too many parents feel accidents happen to other people. Car accidents are the number one killer of teens, what else should parents be supervising if it isn’t driving? Now, I have a vested interest in having parents supervise their teen driving BUT from my experience the supervise/trust issue is a hard issue to overcome between the parent and the teen. A lot of parents feel they would be intruding on their child’s privacy by monitoring their driving. I certainly welcome comments from parents on how they feel about this issue. My little girl is only 1 so I haven’t had to deal with it yet:)
July 8, 2009 at 10:37 am
Lauren
Another great tip for parents is to set up a parent/teen driving agreement that sets rules and punishments before they go out on the road. The more involved a parent is the better their teen’s chances of avoiding crashes.
Also, even though you are completely correct that many teens feel they know everything, they also look up to their parents when it comes to driving. So set a good example and be there to answer their questions and teach them what you know.
July 9, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Ashley Snell
I can’t thank Connie enough for putting this up on the website!
Our State Farm agency really prides ourselves in educating our new and youthful drivers of the importance of safe driving. We like to meet with at least one parent and the child and review the policy that they are to be rated on. We also add our Steer Clear discount and Good student discount at the same time and show them the financial incentive to remain a good driver and a good student! On average, our discounts for new drivers total about $250 savings every 6 months making the added cost much more affordable!
I go over what liability limits are, what the insurance consequences are in the event they severely injure another party, and what affect that can have on their and their parents financial future. But, I put it in kid terminology so it really sticks!
We also go over all the other coverages too so that some day when they buy their own car, they’ll truly understand the coverages that they are buying, and not just take the cheapest quote offered.
We take the time with our customers to insure their families financial future, and keep the roads safe for all. Of course accidents do happen, and when they do, we are there
Call me for a free review of all your policies to see if I can not only save you some money, but also give you the service you deserve!
July 19, 2009 at 1:20 am
Everything Counts
Great piece of writing. I appreciate and totally agree with the points. It feels really good when you can find people sharing such excellent thoughts. Thanks again for the fine piece of writing.