Tips for preventing teen driving distractions...

Worried about your teen texting and driving or riding with teens who aren’t focused on the road? Research shows you are right to be concerned. Young people are among the most avid users of cell phones, smart phones and texting devices. And, according to a 2010 survey by AAA and Seventeen magazine, more than half of teen drivers reported using a cell phone while driving and 1 in 4 reported sending a text message while driving in the preceding 30 days.

Parents play a critical role in preventing distracted driving. Follow these tips to help your teen develop safe driving habits.

Set a good example every time you slide into the driver’s seat and don’t pass on poor habits. Keep your mobile devices
    stowed, reduce any other distractions and focus on driving.

Before you begin practice driving with your teen, create a teen driver contract that includes strict ground rules related to
    distraction. The AAA StartSmart Parent-Teen Driving Agreement has some of these components already built in.

Explain to your teen driver how to manage various distractions, such as eating, drinking, chatting with a passenger,
    reading a map, personal grooming, reaching for things in the car or looking at people or objects unrelated to the
    driving task.

When you are supervising your teen’s practice driving, stay off the phone and help your teen pay attention to the road.
    Don’t make electronic distractions an acceptable part of driving.

Prohibit your teen from riding with teen drivers or transporting other teens during the learning-to-drive process.
    One of the most dangerous sources of distraction for teen drivers, whether due to loud music, rowdy behavior or
    peer pressure, is teen passengers. Traffic Safety studies have found that carrying passengers, particularly other
    teens, greatly increases crash risk for drivers under age 18.