A vehicle emergency can happen at the most unexpected of times; is your teen prepared? All sorts of different emergencies can occur, such as drastic weather changes, flat tires or even your teen’s vehicle breaking down. How can you ensure that your teen is prepared to handle these situations safely? Good news, I have some tips and tricks we can share with you to ensure that your teen is prepared for any vehicle emergency they are faced with.
Educate
The first step is to educate your teen about the possible dangers and emergencies they can face while driving. From there, you will need to teach your teen to identify the emergency and how to deal with the situation safely. Some important topics to go over include:
- Flat tires
- Changes in weather
- Extreme weather conditions
- Other vehicle problems
There are great video resources on YouTube which can help you inform your teen.
Vehicle Emergency Roadside Kit
I have mentioned the importance of an emergency roadside kit in the 3 Tips to Ensure Safe Summer Driving blog. Kits are a great way to help ensure that your teen has the necessary tools required to allow them to assess and address the situation safely. You will be able to find pre-made kits at many places but ensure that you go through the items as you will most likely need to add a few more things. Some of the most important things to have in your teen’s emergency roadside kit include:
- Jumper cables
- Basic tools
- First aid kit
- Candles & a lighter
- Flashlight
- Gloves
- Change of clothes
- Blanket
- Water
- Non-perishable snack
- Seatbelt cutter
The National Safety Council provides a great link as to what to put into your teen’s emergency roadside kit. Ensure that your teen knows how to use each of the items in the kit.
Pulling Over
Knowing when and where to pull over is an essential safety piece for your teen. Cases such as flat tires or extreme weather can require the driver to pull over to safety. There are three main tips to follow when pulling over:
- Pullover at a rest area or parking lot when possible, if unable to do so, pull over as far away from traffic as possible
- Be visible!
- Use your hazard lights
For tips on pulling over safely after experiencing a tire blowout, check out this link.
It may be challenging to prepare your teen for every possible emergency that can occur, but the more prepared they are, the better they will handle the situation, calmly and safely.
References
Odom, A. (2019, April 9). [Photo]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/T1L9Q5g7eIQ
NeONBRAND. (2018, April 4). [Photo]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/y_6rqStQBYQ
NeONBRAND. (2017, October 5). [Photo]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/RzgPzI8GRck
