Three Tips For Parents Of Teen Drivers In New Jersey

New Jersey has a population of over 8 million people and is the most densely populated state in America, and if you want to get around in the Garden State you’re going to need to learn how to operate a vehicle. New Jersey has millions of drivers on its roads, and this year thousands more will join their ranks. As a parent of an older teen you know that they’re going to have their license soon, and you most likely aren’t looking forward to it. Allowing your teen to drive on their own involves giving them a lot of responsibility and trusting that they’ll be able to safely operate a vehicle. If you’re going to have a new licensed driver in your family soon, consider following these tips so that you can feel safe when they’re behind the wheel.

 Lead by example

 It’s very difficult to teach your teen that it’s dangerous to text and drive when they see you texting behind the wheel. If you want your teen to be a safe driver, you need to set a good example for them by driving the way you’d want them to drive. That means staying off of your phone, always using your turn signal, and concentrating on the road and nothing else. Actions speak a lot louder than words, and your good example shows them that safe driving is important.  

Make sure they know what to do in different situations

If your teen is going to be driving in New Jersey, they’re going to need to know how to safely and defensively drive in heavy traffic, rain, sleet, snow, and virtually any driving condition you can think of. If you live near New York City or Philadelphia, make sure that they can handle driving in urban areas (and that they remember that you can only turn right on red in the state). Take them out driving during a light shower or after it rains so that you can see how the handle their car on wet roads.

Go used instead of new

Many parents that can afford to provide their teens with a car will go used instead of new. There are plenty of affordable used cars in our New Jersey lots and a used car would be much better for your budget than a new one. The cost to insure a brand new car for a brand new driver is going to be very high, but insuring a used car to a new driver wouldn’t be as expensive.