Teens must know safety and know that they should not text and drive. However, actions will always speak louder than words, so teens need to be educated through example. Yet, it may not be enough. We need to talk to them about it, share driving statistics to help them understand the dangers. Teens need to know that their actions can be severe and actions have consequences. These tips can help you teach your teen not to text and drive, and in the end, it could save their life.
Share the Dangers of Texting and Driving
It is suggested that you educate your teens about texting and driving. Defensive driving is vital, and it cannot be done if they are not aware of their surroundings. In 2010, over 3000 people were killed and 416000 injured because of distracted driving. That is why texting and driving are illegal in 49 states.
Once your teen can understand the dangers, then ensure that they know about the consequences as well. A few seconds can devastate their lives and the lives of others. Texting and driving not only jeopardizes their safety but others as well, and it violates motor vehicle laws and comes with hefty fines.
Take the time and talk to ensure that your teen gets where they are going.
Tools to Stop Texting While Driving for Teens
How can you stop your teen from texting and driving? You can talk and talk to them about the risks, but when you are a teen, you feel like you could rule the world. Knowing that there are risks is not enough for most. It is always a good idea to talk and then have follow-up safety measures.
Prevention Apps
You can prevent texting and driving by installing apps. When some cars are in motion, the GPS signals from the phone are used to cut off the cellular connection. Some phones don’t support these apps, of course. While you can find apps for iPhones, Androids, and Blackberrys, finding a solution for a standard phone model is much more difficult. The laws do not prevent people from texting at stoplights, which can be equally dangerous and distracting.
Reward apps
In addition, some apps track the use of your phone while you are driving, and they send you a report. It is possible to reward your children when they follow the rules for safe driving with these apps. For example, you could reward them with more time or use the car if they go over a certain number of text-free trips. There is an app called ThisAppSavesLives.com that does precisely that.
Providers of mobile phone services can offer parental controls to their customers. You can control your child’s access to the internet and cell phone through most major cell phone companies. Most of the time, this involves allowing or denying certain persons or times to text or call. A rule that prevents them from texting before they leave for school, work, or wherever they are going can at least help.
The Stick Shift
Getting kids to drive a car with a manual transmission is another way to keep their hands off their phones while they’re driving. It requires both hands to operate a stick shift, especially in town. Since they were trying to stop at the stoplight ahead of them, they knew they couldn’t pick up the phone.
Cell phone blockers installed in vehicles
The onboard systems of your car can detect when you are driving with several devices. Cell phone blocking devices send out a signal that prevents your child’s device from connecting to a cellular network. The text will not work, even if they try sending one.
A Text-to-Speech App
Some teens may find this solution to be beneficial, but others may find it to be ineffective. An app that reads text messages audibly enables users to create texts and send them. This type of technology is featured in the Siri app on the iPhone 4s, but they are also available for other mobile devices. However, there is some distraction associated with texting, only a tiny amount, compared to the text itself.
Set a Good Example
Setting a good example for your teen driver is the best way to help them develop safe driving habits. No matter how long you’ve been driving and whether you haven’t had an accident since college, you aren’t safe from getting into accidents when you’re texting. It won’t take them long for their teenage mind to convince itself that they should also text if she sees you doing so. The tool you can use the most could be this one.
Conclusion
Texting while driving is hazardous. As time continues to go on, more statistics can prove just how dangerous it is. It would help if you encouraged your teens to drive safely by using conversations and then follow up. It would be best to think about some of these solutions that can help you control and monitor their texting activity when you are not in the vehicle with them.
