In California, driving laws for teens restrict newly licensed teens from driving with other teens in the vehicle. However, those laws provide legal restriction only for the first 12 months of licensed driving. Once a teen reaches their 13th month of driving, they’re allowed to drive with other teens in the vehicle. What the law doesn’t put into consideration is individual personality and maturity. The best parenting tips for teens driving with friends can help parents manage the teen they now better than any law.
Tips for teens driving with friends can help parents keep their individual teen safe and personalize the law for their teens.
Understanding
One of the easiest tips for teens driving with friends is to ensure understanding. When it comes to driving, understanding the laws and how to stay as safe as possible is the most important tool we have. Make sure your teen completely understands the risks of driving with friends in the car. It’s important that teens understand that not having friends in the car isn’t a pointless rule, it’s a matter of life and death.
Extending the Law
No one knows your teen better than you, the parent. Parents know where their teens are as far as maturity, confidence, and just being responsible. For these reasons, it’s up to you as a parent to decide if your teen is ready to drive with friends in the car.
Restrictions
When parents are finally ready to let their teens drive with friends in the car, set restrictions. Having a friend in the car can be a major distraction, having three friends in the car can be downright life threatening. Set a limit to how many friends can be in the car with your teen while driving.
Time Limits
Teen driving gets more and more dangerous as the sun goes down. One of the best tips for teens driving with friends is to set time limits. Once your teen knows how many friends they can have the car let them know when they can have them in the car. A good idea is to set a sundown rule or something similar. One thing to avoid is to let teens drive with friends in the car after dark.
Exceptions
Not every rule deserves an exception, however, driving rules can be a bit more fluid. If you find that there are situations in your teen’s life that should allow them to drive with friends in the car, let them know. Some examples of an exception could be like driving home from work, picking up a teenage relative or sibling, or just running an errand for you. If the law allows them to drive with other teens in the car, you can too. Just make sure you and your teen understand where the exceptions can be made and why.
