Make sure your teenager is well-equipped to handle bad weather behind the wheel. Here are ten tips for teaching your young driver how to handle whatever might come up:
Before You Drive
1. Instruct your child to always have at least one-quarter of a tank of gas. Even if he is sure there is enough gas to get to his destination, remind him that sometimes (especially in the case of icy and snowy roads), he may spend some unexpected time waiting and idling in traffic, and there might not be a convenient place to fill up.
2. Instruct your child to check the car’s fluids regularly. It’s a great habit to check all fluids every time she fills up for gas. Make sure she knows how to check the car’s oil as well as the car’s windshield wiper fluid, in particular. And make sure you always have an extra gallon of wiper fluid in the trunk.
3. Make sure the windshield wipers are doing a good job of maintaining visibility.
4. Go over the importance of clearing the entire car of snow and ice before you get ready to drive. Make sure that your child knows never to drive when the entire windshield is not clear. She will need to clear all windows and side mirrors, as well. And you’ll want to make sure that the car’s tailpipe is free of snow and ice. Make sure your teen is equipped with a brush and a quality ice scraper.
5. Inspect the tread of the car’s tires and talk to your child about the importance of good tires and proper inflation for snow and ice.
6. Make sure your child always has a cell phone, as well as a cell phone car charger so she can contact you in any kind of emergency.
7. Instruct your young driver to turn on headlights whenever he feels the need to turn on the windshield wipers. If it is raining or snowing, the headlights should be on.
On the Road
8. Make sure your child knows that, in bad weather, she needs to leave more room between herself and the next car.
9. Talk about bridges and overpasses and how she will need to exercise greater caution in these areas. Discuss how these are the first parts of the road to freeze and how to handle these areas of the road. You might also want to discuss alternate routes to help them avoid dangerous patches in the snow and ice.
10. Take your child to an empty parking lot when it’s raining heavily or snowing and demonstrate what happens in different weather conditions. Help your child to understand what it feels like to slide, and allow her to practice steering out of one. Also, let her feel how the anti-lock brakes feel under her feet, if your car is so equipped, before she faces such a situation on a busy road.
Jamie Jefferson writes for Susies-Coupons.com, where you can find everything from coupons for Amazon Kindle 2
Article Source: Driving in the Snow and Ice: 10 Tips for Your Teen