Driving School Blog

Are you a new teen driver who is learning to drive or has recently completed a driving instruction class? As a new teen driver, learning to drive can be both exciting and scary.  For many of you, this is often the first time you have been entrusted with a real world responsibility whose mismanagement or abuse can have very real adult consequences.  With this in mind, we have compiled some useful driving tips for teens and hope you will incorporate them into your driving routine.

1.       Always wear your seat belt and ensure that all your passengers are wearing seat belts too.

2.       Never have more passengers than available seatbelts in the car

3.       Make certain your windshield is clean of obstructing debris that might reflect light at sunrise or sunset

4.       Obey all speed limits for minimum and maximum speeds.

5.       Come to a complete stop at red lights or stop signs.

6.       Use your turn signal to indicate that you want to turn or change lanes.

7.       When a light turns green, make sure the intersection has cleared before you proceed.

8.       Obey parental and law curfews and leave yourself plenty of time to reach your destination.

9.       Don’t blast the radio.  You might miss a siren or a horn that could warn you of possible trouble.

10.   Don’t drink or take drugs and drive, and don’t ride with anyone who has been using drugs or drinking, it’s illegal.  Even some over-the-counter drugs can make you drowsy, so check the label for warnings.  Call a parent or friend to pick you up if you need a ride.

11.   Don’t drive distracted.  The following can all be dangerous distractions: cell phone use, texting, other passengers, eating, drinking, smoking and personal grooming.

12.   Always pull over (to the right side of the road) if a police officer stops you.

13.   If you feel tired or sleepy, pull off the road at a safe place and call your parents or another adult to help you.

14.   Don’t drive like you own the road – drive like you own the car.  Everyone shares the road.

We hope you have found these teen driving tips useful and that you and your teen friends will incorporate them into your driving routine.

Teens: Are there any additional tips you would like to mention that we may have overlooked?  We welcome any comments, stories or additional tips you can provide to help make our Maryland streets safer for all drivers.