I am pleased today to publish a guest post, from Attorney Richard Console of New Jersey. His post provides an excellent summary of several core vehicle-handling skills. A brief bio of this guest author appears at the end of his article.
What’s Your Teen’s Driving IQ? AAA’s New Test Can Tell You
Teaching your teenager to drive doesn’t have to be a fast track to grey hair and roadway panic attacks. By educating yourself on the latest safety tips and safe driving tactics, you not only help the newest driver in your family, you can also improve your own performance behind the wheel. To help you in your quest, AAA has a brief IQ test to make you and your teen driver aware of improved safety strategies for modern vehicles and age-old traffic problems. Incorporating these tactics can help make driving for all motorists safer and may even reduce the likelihood of injuries when crashes do occur.
Hands on the Wheel
The old rule of keeping your hands at “10 and 2” doesn’t work with modern vehicles that have airbags and power steering features. Keeping your teen’s hands at positions “9 and 3” provide better control over the automobile and reduces the chances your teen might hurt their wrists or arms when an airbag deploys in an accident.
Emergencies on the Road
Sudden changes in road conditions, including a tire blow out, can fluster a young driver and may lead to serious collisions. AAA recommends teaching your teen driver to ease off the accelerator to regain control over the vehicle as opposed to braking hard to slow down the vehicle. Applying the brakes in a tire blow out could aggravate the situation and actually cause the car to careen further out of control. This is also true of a car skidding in rain or other inclement weather. Teaching your teen to remain calm and avoid those kneejerk reactions – like sudden braking – can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
Managing the Blind Spots
Positioning your side mirrors with a view of your own vehicle is the old way of managing your blind spots. Teaching your teen driver to angle side mirrors out further better addresses the blind spots and helps them learn how to operate in crowded driving conditions.
Teaching your teen these simple steps is an integral component in the toolkit your child will need to drive safely every time they pull into traffic. Incorporating AAA’s safety tips into your own routine strengthens your teen’s responses and makes it more likely they’ll drive with greater care.
Bio: Voorhees car accident lawyer Richard P. Console, Jr. has been helping auto accident victims in New Jersey since 1994. His firm, Console & Hollawell P.C., has obtained tens of millions of dollars for more than 5,000 clients injured in auto crashes.
