Monday 18 May 2015

How To Prepare Your Teen for a Car Accident

Harrison is 17 years old from New Jersey, and loves playing guitar, tennis, and learning about current events.  He wants to be a doctor when he’s older and hopes to travel around the world.
Parents constantly tell their kids to be safe on the road, not to talk on the phone, not to speed, not to text, not to fool around, and to overall just pay attention.  All of this is fine and great, but do kids these days know what to actually do when an accident occurs?  Having your kids prepared for this situation is probably a pretty good idea, because not being ready will most likely lead to an extremely stressful experience.
Don’t assume your kid will never be in an accident because he/she is a “good driver.”  We’re all new drivers on the road, and although I consider myself to be pretty decent, I clearly lack the experience of a person who has been driving for two decades more than me.  Either way, there are other bad drivers on the road, which can be pretty nerve-wracking to think about.  But it won’talways be your child’s fault, so it’s good to be safe and be prepared for any situation.  There are plenty of other bad drivers on the road!
However, just telling your son/daughter what to do when/if in an accident isn’t enough.  While in the heat of the situation, it’s pretty hard to remember what your Mom/Dad told you to do.  My Mom came up with a perfect solution for this: put an index card in the glove compartment outlining the steps of what to do when in an accident.
On the card, you should have a list of things “to do” in order, including call 911. (Make sure you put this because your teen may think the accident is not serious enough, when in fact it may be!  Some teens are afraid of calling 911 in fear of getting in trouble because they may have done something wrong.)  Make sure you add in the location of their license and registration in the car as well so that they don’t have a hard time finding it.  Remember to tell them that you love them!  This way, they’ll feel a little less panicked, knowing that you aren’t going to chop his/her head off after ruining the new paint job on the family SUV.
It’s almost like you’re there with them, directing them what to do every step of the way.  They don’t need to remember anything- they can just read the card and know precisely what to do in a situation!  This helpful tip can aid your teen avoid what can be a very stressful and tough situation.

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