Think back to when you were a teen just learning to drive. There was a sense of uncertainty in your driving skills, which likely made you somewhat nervous when just starting out. Nowadays, you don't even think twice about what happens on the road, but the same can't be said for your teen. One of the most stressful driving situations for a teen is deciding what to do when an emergency vehicle is approaching. Thus, we have come up with the following to help you teach them how to handle these situations to ease their nerves at the wheel.

Help Your Teen Become More Aware

Make sure they know common practices such as not wearing earphones or blasting music too loud while driving. Remind your teen that they must be able to hear what's going on around them.

Let's assume that your teen is relatively aware on the roads. Does he or she have the know-how when it comes to the laws pertaining to emergency vehicles approaching?

The next time you two go out on a practice drive, help them by teaching the following:

  • Upon identifying the siren, immediately start thinking of the best course of action.
  • As the emergency vehicle approaches, you must come to a stop and then decide whether or not your position is safe or if you need to move.
  • The vehicle must be stopped as far right as possible on the road.
  • At an intersection with an emergency vehicle approaching, you should determine whether or not the emergency vehicle is going to turn. If it's not going to turn, you must continue through the intersection and pull over immediately when it becomes possible.
  • If there is limited to no room to the right, just go as far right as you can.

Does your teen know how to handle a police traffic stop?

The following are some great pointers to teach your teen about how to act during traffic stops:

  • Of course, ensure they know it's never OK to run from the police. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it puts a lot of other people at danger and will only get them into more trouble.
  • Your teen should remain seated in the car with their seat belts buckled.
  • Make sure they know what to do when asked for their license, insurance, and registration.
  • Even if your teen receives a ticket, remind them to be pleasant to the police officer. Arguing isn't going to help anything and may even get him or her into more trouble.

Hopefully your teen doesn't end up getting a ticket any time soon, but if they do, it's best if they know to tell you. A common thing is to come up with a Parent-Teen Agreement that specifies the consequences of your teen receiving a traffic violation, which has the effect of making them more conscious on the roads. Try not to get upset with your teen about a traffic violation, and instead, help them to avoid one in the future. Let them know that it happens, but there are steps they can take to ensure they lower their risk of getting another one.