When your teen gets their driver’s license, it’s both exciting and terrifying. Your child is growing up, but they’re still going to be prone to making poor choices. A safe-driving contract can help them be mindful of the choices they make while behind the wheel. Here, we look at how to create a safe-driving contract for your teen, why it’s so important, what elements to include, and how to keep your worries at bay with the knowledge of having a safe-driving teen.
Why Safe-Driving Contracts Matter
When teens start driving, they are prone to make mistakes. Kids’ brains aren’t as developed as adults’, and when you combine the natural impulsiveness of teens with their relative lack of experience driving, errors can result in potentially devastating accidents. The government tries to mitigate this somewhat by limiting their driving privileges, such as placing curfews on driving hours, but a contract between parent and kid can help, too.
These contracts can help teens stay mindful of the choices they make while driving. They establish clear guidelines for the teen when they drive without your supervision, and your child is more likely to follow those guidelines when they’ve put their signature on them. A contract also allows for give-and-take. You can develop these guidelines with your teen, so everyone understands what has gone into them.
What Your Contract Should Include
Some of the rules you place in your contract should be non-negotiable. For example, you should always include a no-phone guideline. Seat-belt rules are also a must-have element. Other agreements can be more flexible and change over time.
You might, for example, want to set curfews with guidelines for when it may be acceptable to break them. Many parents include limits on how many passengers their teen can transport. Areas your teen is not allowed to drive in are a good inclusion. As your teen gets older, you can relax certain restrictions and include new privileges.
Another thing that’s important to include in your contract is the consequences of breaking the agreement. A contract is only effective if it is binding, and consequences ensure that to be the case. Consequences could be the reduction or removal of driving privileges, increased chores around the house, or being grounded. You can include multiple levels of penalties for different kinds of infractions.
Breaking Down the Contract
Your contract should be very specific and in sections. It should include responsibilities for the parents as well as for the teen driver. It should then outline each infraction and penalties, with space for initials, and it should include the base rules for the driver to follow. There should then be a final summary and signature page. Check out this sample contract from Drive Safely as a guideline for your own.
At Fox Toyota of El Paso, we think it’s important to help keep your teen safe on the roads. As a dealership, we have a responsibility to protect drivers of all ages, and we hope this article helps you and your family.
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