Five Great Tips For Teens To Help Their Friends Not Text When Driving

No matter how many laws that are passed about texting when driving, nothing takes the place of good parenting. Learning how to communicate well with your children is an absolute must when parenting, especially with teenagers.

So many feel the more laws that are passed, the better chance of these horrible accidents not occurring. Not so. Parents must get back to real teaching. Sit down with your teen and help them to understand you know what it is like to feel uncomfortable with speaking up to friends about these types of issues, after all you were once a teen yourself.

Come up with ideas for how they can best communicate their concerns to their friends about texting and driving.

There are ways for your teen to speak up to their friends who are driving and texting without completely jeopardizing their friendship or appearing as if they are odd for suggesting such ideas.

With a little assistance from you by explaining these suggestions to them, your teen will feel more comfortable and confident with telling their friends to put down their cell phone and focus on the road.

Here are five suggestions you can share with your teenager.

It can really make an impact when someone sees that you are nervous about them making it to their destination with safety. Many times straight honesty makes the biggest impact.

Your teen can ask the driver to put the phone down or to pull over to the side of the road or even allow them to drive if the teen is determined to text while driving.

Have your teen suggest they take over the texting so the driver can concentrate on the driving.

Let your teen know they can tell their friend that part of friendship is having a level of trust and privacy or they would likely not be friends.

In other words, that trust will be honored as their friend dictates what they would like to say.

Particularly with teenagers, visual components can be effective when teaching.

If your teen happens to be in the vehicle with a driver who refuses to stop texting and should come upon an auto accident, have them suggest it is quite possible it was caused by someone paying more attention to their cell phone than the road.

They should get the point pretty quick.

Teens tend to run in packs much like wolves travel together.

Your teen is likely not the only friend who feels their life is in danger by the driver texting. Have them take a vote before ever getting into the vehicle of a driver who is known for texting and driving.

Suggest they hand over their car keys or they will ride with a different driver unless their irresponsible behavior takes a change.

We use this for those who have been drinking and are going to drive, so why not with someone who is driving and texting?

A lot of parenting teens is about embarrassing yourself and playing the role of the bad guy.

Let your teen know you do not mind taking the blame. Let them know when they have difficulty with speaking up for themselves, you can be the third party who they can put the blame on by letting the driver know they will be in a whole lot of trouble if they are in a vehicle with a driver who is texting.

Your presence can be in the car even though you are not actually in it with them.

Let your teen know that a true friend would not put them in harms way and if they do then they are not worth having as a friend.

Are there any other ways you can think of to tell a teen about things they can do to help a texting teen driver stop or to at least not do so when they are in the vehicle with them? If so please feel free to share them in the comment box.