A Kentucky town is in mourning, after the loss of two high school students killed in a car accident earlier this month. A vehicle running from police struck the student’s car as they were passing through an intersection. Two other students riding in the victim’s car suffered serious injuries from the crash.
Several Kentucky police departments tried to stop the high-speed pursuit, but the tragedy still occurred. Help your teenager stay safe on the road by teaching them the following three defensive driving skills:
1. Follow the three-second rule
You probably know the three-second rule as a way to keep a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. You can do this by picking an object on the road ahead, such as a sign or a tree. When the car in front of you passes it, start counting to three. If you pass the object within three seconds, you are likely following the car in front of you too closely.
You might not know that there is another three-second rule that could keep your teenager safe while driving. When a stoplight turns green, most people immediately hit the gas pedal to enter an intersection. Unfortunately, other drivers do not always stop when their light turns red. Make sure your teenager counts to three and looks both ways before entering an intersection, just in case someone runs a red light.
2. Avoid a rear-end collision
It is important to keep an eye on the car behind you when approaching a red light or slowing down for traffic congestion. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, over 1.7 million car accidents occur in the United States each year are a result of rear-end collisions. That is around three rear-end accidents per minute.
Teach your teenage children to begin breaking as early as possible. This will signal to the car behind them that a stop is approaching. Also, teach them to watch the car behind them once they are stopped. This might give them a chance to pull out of the way if the car behind them is not slowing down.
3. Be cautious of intersections with yield signs
Intersections with yield signs can be dangerous. Unfortunately, drivers with yield signs do not always yield. Teach your teenagers the importance of slowing down at every intersection and looking both ways, even if they do not have yield sign.
Additionally, intersections with stop signs can be just as dangerous. It is important that drivers without stop signs slow down at intersections where other drivers do. You cannot always depend on another driver to follow the rules of the road.
What are you waiting for? Teach your teenager these and other defensive driving skills before it is too late.