3 helpful tips to stop your teenager from texting behind the wheel

Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous things a person can do. Texting takes your mind off what you’re doing. It takes your hands off the wheel and takes your eyes off the road.

This is why it’s so important for parents to talk to their children about texting and driving. When teens begin to drive, there is a chance that they might ignore the risks of texting, but it’s vital that they understand that texting could lead to a serious collision.

How can you keep your teen informed about texting and driving?

Show them statistics

The first thing you can do is make a reasonable argument against texting and driving with statistics. For example, 25% of all crashes in the United States involve the use of a cell phone, and around 390,000 injuries happen annually as a result of texting-and-driving crashes.

Appeal to their sense of duty

Another thing that you can do is talk to your children about their duty to you and to other people. Express the dangers of texting and driving, how it could lead to injuries or a loss of life and how it could make your family feel if your child was involved in a crash. Talk to your child about the legal consequences as well as the emotional consequences of automobile crashes caused by preventable factors.

Put your foot down

Finally, as a parent, you can put your foot down and explain that your child is not allowed to text and drive. Tell them what the penalties will be and how you’ll discipline them if you catch them texting and driving. Whether that’s taking away the vehicle or their phone, they should know that there are harsh consequences for violating the law, even if they don’t get caught by the police.

Texting and driving is dangerous and could put people’s lives at risk. Your child could be put at risk by other teens who text and drive as well. By discussing the risks with your teen and others, it’s possible to reduce the chances that a crash will occur.