This is part of a sponsored safety campaign with DiMe Media and Allstate Foundation. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
When your children are little, the scariest moments are probably when they learn to ride a bike or a skateboard. I am one of those moms that was always stressing out that they would fall and hurt themselves, I am still like that with all of the little ones. Well that fear is nothing compared to when they begin to drive, especially these days when there are so many distractions. Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens in America and about 1/2 of teens will likely crash before they are out of high school. Those are scary statistics right? But parents are the #1 influence on teen drivers. Your kids are going to listen to YOU above anyone or anything else, so you have to be ready to prepare them for the road. Visit the Allstate Foundation Helpful Tips page online and use this resource as part of your preparedness teaching.
It's still hard for me to let any of the kids even drive me around. But using common sense and the tips that we learned from Allstate, I am reassured that they are doing all they can to be safe on the road.
Tips to keep teens safe on the road:
- Lead by example: Our kids learn from us, setting a good example while driving will go a long way in how they behave on the road. Teach your kids good driving behavior by always following laws and being safe.
- Before driving teen must create a distraction-free zone: Put all things away leaving room to maneuver and turn the radio down. Having no more than two people in the car is also safer than letting them drive with a carload of friends. Sure it's boring, but it's safe.
- Turn cell phones off: I was at at intersection yesterday and as I looked around me I realized that all four people who were stopped by me had cell phones out, and they were all adults. Talk to you kids, let them know how dangerous it is to drive distracted.
- Seat belts: In case of an accident a seat belt can literally mean the difference between life and death.
The Allstate Foundation’s signature program – teen safe driving – is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the Foundation has reached more than 56 million people with resources and information that have contributed to driving down teen car crash fatalities by nearly 48 percent. The work continues, especially during the summer months, which are the deadliest for teen drivers in the United States.
To bring awareness during these dangerous summer months, Allstate Foundation is running a social media sweepstakes through July 3. You are invited to post messages on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #GetThereSafe and @Allstate. All eligible entries will be placed into daily drawings to win $1,000. For more information about Driving Change. Time is running out so post your pictures to social media today!
