Avoid Distracted Driving And How To Handle A Ticket

Driving is a right of passage for many. It seems that from a young age, children can’t wait to grow up and hit that first big milestone of adulthood. Driving is an exciting time in the life of your teenager, and likely a scary one for you. Distracted driving and accidents are all too real. 

Unfortunately, many parents fail to appropriately discuss and instruct their teenagers on the importance of safe driving and the potential disaster of distracted driving. 

Educating your child doesn’t mean teaching them how to drive, but how to drive safely. In order to do this, there are a few things you should discuss with your teenager. Specifically, how to avoid distracted driving and how to handle a ticket.

Talk To Your Teens About Safe Driving

On average, around 300,000 adolescents are injured in car accidents each year, with around 2,500 of those accidents resulting in death. Safe driving is incredibly important. In fact, it could be a matter of life and death. 

In order to help mitigate the risks involved, it’s important to discuss safe driving with your teenagers. Safe driving involves:

  • Wearing a seatbelt
  • Adjusting mirrors
  • Abiding by the speed limit
  • Routine car maintenance
  • Following traffic laws
  • Full stops at stop signs
  • Obeying traffic lights
  • Etc

Your teenager is probably excited about their new license as driving is a new taste of freedom for them. However, before letting them out on the road, take time to discuss not only these safe driving tips but also the potential dangers if they choose to ignore them. 

Help your child understand that safe driving isn’t just about protecting them, but also about protecting others. Whether it be friends, pets, or individuals in another car, they are responsible for their safety every time they get behind the wheel. 

Explain How To Avoid Distracted Driving

One of the biggest causes of accidents involving teenagers is distracted driving. Most people don’t intentionally rear-end another car. But distracted driving, even for a split second, can be potentially deadly. Discuss with your teenager some common distractions and how they can avoid them. 

Cell Phones

Cell phones are one of the most common causes of accidents involving motor vehicles. One study showed that nearly 1.6 million crashes are caused each year due to cell phone use. This is a staggering number and not one to be ignored. It’s been shown that it’s more dangerous to drive on your cell phone than it is to drive drunk (not that you should do either. Instruct your teenager to stay off their phone while driving. Encourage them to activate the “driving mode” that most smartphones have and to block all calls until they arrive safely at their destination.

Radio

The radio can be a huge distraction while driving. Scanning different channels, adjusting the volume, etc can all cause attention to be distracted even for a second. It’s important to help your teen stay safe by never looking down at the radio while the car is in motion.

Friends

If your teenager is like most, then their social life is one of the most important things to them. Most teens can’t wait to get their license so they can drive their friends around. However, teenagers have a way of cutting up and distracting each other. Help your teenager learn to talk to their friends about staying calm while they’re driving. This will help them focus and not become distracted by their friends. 

Car Accidents

Ironically enough, car accidents can cause more car accidents. “Rubbernecking” or turning your head to stare at a car accident on the side of the road as you pass it can easily distract you from driving. 

Makeup 

Trying to do anything while driving is typically a bad idea. Yet, many individuals seem to think that applying makeup in heavy traffic is a harmless task. This isn’t true. Focusing on your makeup causes you to take your eyes off the road and become distracted by something else. Encourage your teenagers to get ready before they drive anywhere so that they can fully focus on the road.

Teach Your Teen What To Do If They’re Pulled Over

As much as you try to coach your teens on safe driving, free from distractions, there’s the possibility they will be pulled over. Whether they were caught on their phone, or a quick distraction caused them to swerve, they may be pulled over for distracted driving.

Before this ever happens, you should explain to your child what to do if they ever find themselves in this situation. Here’s how your teenager should react if they see those flashing lights behind them.

Pull-Over Safely

Safety is the number one priority on the road, and police officers know this. Depending on where the infraction occurred, there may not be a place to safely pull over. Instruct your teen that should this ever happen, they should turn on their hazard lights so the cop knows they have been seen, and the driver is looking for a safe place to pull over. Once there is adequate room to pull over without impeding traffic, do so.

Roll Down The Windows

Unfortunately, routine traffic stops can be one of the most dangerous jobs an officer does. This is because they never know who they are pulling over or what to expect. In order to help the officer feel safe, roll down all four windows in your car to allow the officer a clear view of its interior. While this may seem like overkill, officers greatly appreciate it and are likely to be more lenient when they aren’t so concerned about who may be hiding in the back seat. 

Speak Respectfully And Don’t Argue

Police officers deal with a lot. And unfortunately, they don’t always receive the respect they deserve. Teach your teenager about the importance of speaking respectfully to anyone in authority. Yes sir, yes ma’am, etc can go a long way in helping an officer feel more appreciated and respected, easing some of the tension in the situation. 

Give The Officer Any Requested Information

Officers will instruct your teenager on what information they need. Typically, they’ll need to provide their driver’s license and proof of insurance. So make sure your teenager always carries these items with them. 

Explain How To Handle A Ticket

While some officers may be lenient and simply give your child a warning, it’s also possible they may receive a ticket. While a mark on their driving record isn’t great, it isn’t the end of the world. Take time to explain how to handle a ticket.

Typically, a ticket involves three stages.

  • The initial citation
  • Paying the ticket
  • Increased insurance costs

The process for paying for a ticket is simple. Instructions for paying the ticket are included on the citation and it can be paid for in person, by mailing in the fee, or online. 

However, while rare, it is possible your teenager may receive a ticket they don’t actually deserve. If this is the case, you teenager should never argue with the officer or aggravate the situation. Simply accept the ticket, and then take it to traffic court. 

There are professionals who make it their mission to provide legal representation for those who have received a traffic ticket unjustly. If this is the case for you or your teenager, reach out to one of those qualified experts today. 

We Can Help!

At Traffic Buddy, we believe that every individual should have access to legal representation for any traffic-related charges. From tickets to forfeiture of vehicles, we make it our mission to help provide all the facts to help ensure you receive the minimum possible penalties for any alleged infraction. If you need traffic court representation, reach out today!