Keeping Your Teen Driver Safe Behind the Wheel

At AAA, driving safety is at the heart of all that we do. This certainly applies to new drivers, who are particularly vulnerable to challenges on the road. Before giving your teen the keys to drive, it's important to ensure that they are safe – and AAA is here to help.

AAA has been involved in teen driver safety for decades. AAA aims to raise awareness about safe teen driving, while giving you the tools and support you will need to prepare your teen for the road ahead.

Teaching your teen to drive can be an overwhelming process, but parental involvement is key. By having open, honest conversations – and personally showing them the ins and outs of navigating the roadway – the path to mastering life behind the wheel will be much safer for your teen, and everyone else around them. Here are several tips and resources to help your teen embark on a road toward safe driving:

Texting and driving can be deadly. Check out this video about the dangerous reality of distracted driving.

Reiterate the dangers of distracted driving.

60% of crashes involving teen drivers are instigated by common forms of distraction, including cell phone usage, eating and reaching for objects inside the vehicle. Another major aspect that often factors into distracted teen driving: riding with other young passengers. See our PSA video, courtesy of AAA:

Be a Good Passenger
Distracted Driving

Emphasize that safe driving is smart driving.

Helping your teen understand what it means to be a safe driver is a complex process. That is why a good game plan includes outlining privileges, responsibilities, rules and consequences for your teen. To help ensure that they practice safe driving habits, keep your teen accountable with the AAA Parent-Teen Driving Agreement:

AAA Parent-Teen Driving Agreement (PDF)

Highlight the dangers of underage drinking and drug use.

Underage drinking and drug use both impair judgement – dangerously impacting your teen's capacity to safely operate a vehicle. Discussing drug and alcohol use with your teen can be difficult, but open communication is key. Here are a few tips:

Tips for Talking to Your Teen About Alcohol and Drugs

Monitor your teen's driving with the AAA Mobile^® app.

Trust the AAADrive feature on the AAA Mobile app to grant you peace of mind while your teen is on the road. Set parameters and receive alerts when chosen thresholds, such as speed, time of day and geographic boundaries, have been exceeded. Here's how it works:

Ways to Keep Your Teen Driver Safe Using Your Phone

Save money when insuring your new teen driver.

Not only is it important to safeguard your teen behind the wheel, it is also vital to find cost-saving ways to add them to your insurance policy. These tips will help reduce car insurance costs when adding a new teen driver:

Insurance: How to Save on Car Insurance for Your Teen

Add your teen to your AAA Membership.

As an active AAA Member, your teen is eligible for a free AAA Membership, upon receiving their learner's permit. This includes AAA Roadside Assistance, which will place you at ease knowing your teen is covered if anything happens to their car on the road – day or night.

AAA Teen Membership

Need additional information to help guide your teen through the learning-to-drive process? Tap into additional resources through AAA.