According to the CDC, “The most common mode of travel to school is the family car. (46%)” This doesn’t always mean Mom and Dad are dropping the kids off at school. This means a decent amount of those drivers, especially in high school parking lots, are inexperienced, teen drivers.
This increases the dangers of driving in a school parking lot, ten fold. A large number of cars and children in close proximity can be a recipe for disaster.
So how do we keep our kids safe?
One, sit down with your teen before the first day of school and go over the importance of being alert and focused while driving in the parking lot. Make sure they know to turn off all distractions such as the radio and the ringer on their cell phones.
Limit the number of friends they can have in the car with them. In most states new teen drivers can only have one passenger in their car with them. Be sure they let their passenger know they need to focus while in the parking lot.
Two, drive slowly and look out for pedestrians. You can bet that a decent amount of those kids, especially at the end of the day, will be in a hurry to get out of that parking lot. Some of them won’t be paying attention to the traffic flow and might walk right in front of your car.
Be sure to take time to sit down with your teen and make sure they understand the responsibility that comes with being able to drive to school.
For more teen driver tips visit our, Teen Driver Resources page.
