Loudoun Insurance and South Riding Insurance, Northern Virginia Zip 201*-221*, Near 20152

Monitor Your Teens' Behavior When They're Behind the Wheel

Monitor Your Teens’ Behavior When They’re Behind the Wheel


Author Dorothy Parker once wrote: “The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” However, if you’re one of those people here in South Riding, (adjacent to Aldie, Arcola, Brambleton, Chantilly, Ashburn, Leesburg etc. in the counties of Loudoun & Fairfax) who insist on keeping your tires inflated, you’re probably going to have to let your teenagers borrow the car. (http://www.south-riding-insurance.com/)

If the thought of your teen behind the wheel sends a little shiver down your spine, there are a few things you can do to relieve your uneasiness:

· Talk to your kids. Have an open and frank discussion with your teens to find out their attitudes about driving. Be sure you talk about the consequences of actions like speeding, or ignoring stop signs and stoplights. Establish ground rules, such as the number of people allowed in the car (keeping in mind any state laws about the number of unrelated teen passengers permitted in a car with a teen driver), where the car may be taken and how long your teenager is permitted to stay out with the car.

· Enroll in an emergency roadside service. Be sure that the motor club you belong to provides 24-hour emergency road service. That way, your teenager can call for help any time he or she needs it. You also can arrange with the motor club to provide service if your teen is riding in someone else’s car.

· Discuss the consequences of driving under the influence. Most parents want to believe that their teenager will never be foolish enough to drive while intoxicated. However, you need to be realistic and realize that no matter how levelheaded your teen may be, peers have a great influence. Your teen could be at a party and be coaxed into drinking alcohol. That’s why you should make it understood that driving after drinking is not acceptable, nor is it acceptable to get into a car with someone who has been drinking. Make sure you teen knows that he or she can call you at any time of the day or night, and that you will come to get them.

· Install a speed-monitoring device. This type of device is commonly referred to as a “governor.” Its purpose is to restrict fuel injection, which stops the car from being driven over a certain speed. A governor may help prevent your teenager from driving over the speed limit.

· Install a Global Positioning System (GPS). This device can help you keep track of where your teen is driving. You establish a radius of operation and the GPS will alert you if your teen has taken the car outside that radius. It also alerts you when your teenager is driving above the speed limit, or if the car is being kept out past curfew.

As your teen matures and gains experience behind the wheel, you can reconsider the need for some of these measures, such as the speed-monitoring device. In the meantime, you are helping your teen to develop safe driving habits, and giving yourself some peace of mind.
http://www.loudoun-insurance.com/

Labels: Leesburg Auto Insurance, Leesburg Car Insurance, South Riding auto insurance, South Riding car insurance, Stone Ridge Auto Insurance, Stone Ridge Car Insurance

posted by Khalid Umerani @ 3:28 PM
NOVA Insurance (20152) Group - Loudoun Insurance

After School Hours Dangerous for Teen Drivers

AAA Study Shows After School Hours Dangerous for Teen Drivers


Parents have always been concerned about their teenagers driving on the weekend, especially at night. However, a new AAA study of crash data reveals that after school hours can be as deadly for teenage drivers as weekend nights. The researchers advise parents that they need to be just as vigilant about monitoring their teens' driving on weekday afternoons as they are on weekend nights. Contact us at http://www.south-riding-insurance.com/ to discuss.

The researchers studied the number of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers between 2002 and 2005. What they discovered is that almost as many 16 and 17-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes between 3 and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday as were on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. There were 1,100 weekday crashes and 1,237 weekend crashes.

To combat this growing problem, the AAA recommends that parents do the following:
· Establish specific driving rules with your teen. If they follow the rules, they will be permitted to increase their amount of driving time. Breaking the rules leads to fewer liberties. Parents can find a parent-teen driver agreement at http://www.aaa.com/publicaffairs. Also, make certain that the children attend the "Loudoun County Teen Driving Program", offered in various county schools in South Riding, Chantilly, Arcola and Aldie, as well as Ashburn, Sterling, Leesburg, Brambleton, and the Dulles areas.
· Don’t allow a new teen driver to carry passengers during the first three months of driving. Allow them to carry no more than one passenger for the rest of the first year of independent driving. Crash rates increase drastically for 16 and 17-year-old drivers as you add more teenage passengers to a car. Thirty-five states limit passengers for new teen drivers. Every parent should do the same, regardless of state law.
· Don’t permit your teen to ride with a new teen driver. Carpooling seems like a sensible way for teens to ride to school, home and activities, but it can promote risky passenger behavior. Research shows that it is more dangerous for several teens to ride in one car than for them to drive individually.
· Ban cell phone usage while driving. Teens have trouble managing distractions, especially while driving. We can give you further details @ http://www.loudoun-insurance.com/.
· Require your teen to wear a seat belt every time s/he rides in a car. Teens have the lowest belt usage rate of any age group, even though new teen drivers have the highest crash rates.
· Make your rules known to other adults in your teen's life. A parent-to-parent agreement with your teen driver's friends will standardize rules among a group of teenagers. Letting your neighbors know your teen's driving rules can provide you extra sets of eyes when you're not around. You can also find a parent-to-parent agreement at http://www.aaa.com/publicaffairs.

Labels: Stone Ridge Auto Insurance, Stone Ridge Car Insurance, Teen Drivers Fairfax County, Teen Drivers Loudoun County, Teen Drivers South Riding

posted by Khalid Umerani @ 1:22 PM
NOVA Insurance (20152) Group - Loudoun Insurance