The Cooper Firm

Summer is here.  For many of you this means a more relaxed schedule without the demands of school and the other myriad of extra curricular activities which take place during the school year.  Summer is also a time for our children to unwind and enjoy getting away from the hectic pace of the school year.

 

Unfortunately, summer is also the time for our children, particularly our teenagers, to be on the road more often.  It is easy to let our guard down.  We may allow a more liberal use of cell phones… We may let our children stay out later at night...  We may not be as diligent in knowing where they are and who they are hanging out with.  Letting our guard down or “relaxing the rules,” however, can have devastating consequences. 

 

We all know by now that using cell phones while driving can be dangerous.  Teenagers using cell phones while driving is a potentially deadly combination.  Studies indicate that drivers distracted by cell phones may drive as erratically as a drunk driver.  The lack of experience of teenage drivers makes this dangerous condition even worse.  Thousands of accidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities occur every year due to inattention by teenage drivers.  Although we will never eliminate this hazard, some basic safety rules will serve to increase the safety of your teenagers who drive and their passengers. 

 

It follows that if we relax the rules, our teenagers will follow our lead.  For example, they may choose to use the cell phone while driving in order to make sure they don’t miss out on the next big social event.  They may choose to ride in a car with someone we really don’t know well.  They may not think about putting on their seatbelt when they get in the car with friends.  They may decide to stay out past midnight because they “forget” that it is so late.

 

Now is the time, more than ever, to be vigilant in protecting our children.  The follow are some not-so-new rules I feel compelled to remind you about in order to protect your children.  These are common sense rules which, if you diligently enforce, will greatly increase the safety of your children this summer.

 

BASIC RULES

 

No cell phone use whatsoever while driving.  This means texting and hands free cell phone use as well.

 

Never allow your teenager to have more than one passenger in the car with them.  This may not be an eco-friendly rule, but it is a safety friendly rule.  The incidence of teen fatalities goes up 50% for the first teen passenger and increases with each additional passenger. 

 

ALWAYS buckle up.  In order to enforce this rule we have “fined” our children five dollars every time they get in a car and do not buckle up.  Approximately two-thirds of teens killed in vehicle crashes were not wearing seatbelts. 

                                                                                               

Listen to one radio station and one radio station only while driving.  Teenagers will change radio stations as often as husbands change television channels with their remote.

 

Limit nighttime driving.  Set a responsible curfew and stick to it.  States with graduated driving programs reduce the risk of nighttime fatalities by 60%.

 

Report in every time you arrive at a new location. 

 

Make sure your vehicle has gas in it.  Don’t ride around with the gauge on empty - - who knows where you might get stranded. 

 

Slow down! The faster you drive, the longer it takes you to stop.  Speed is a factor in 40% of all teen driver fatalities. 

 

Our children are a gift from God.  Although He is ultimately sovereign, the Scripture also says that God has entrusted our children to us.  It is our responsibility to impart wisdom to our children which, while not ensuring their safety, will help to protect them.