Bringing Tire Safety Into The Driver’s Ed Conversation
Carissa Rogers
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Teen Driving Safety Doesn’t End With Driver’s Ed.
When my good friend was teaching her teens to drive near a particularly dangerous 3-way intersection she would tell her kids this:
“Expect Stupid to Happen.”
It became my teaching mantra as I was attempting to teach my daughter how to drive during her year driving permit age. I kept repeating, make sure everyone around you knows what you plan to do! Broadcast your intentions, no quick motions or jerky lane changes, because no one can guess where you’re headed. And never forget, always be prepared for a little bit of ‘stupid’ to happen.
In other words, be a defensive driver and help the drivers around you know where you are going!
Whether your teen drives a new or old car, she needs to know how to maintain it
Having never taught anyone to drive before (heck, I didn’t get a very good driver’s education myself!) how would I know the best way to teach my kid? I began paying close attention to: how I turned corners, how I stepped on the brake pedal at stop signs, when I began slowing down at red lights and when did I speed up after turning a corner? But then to describe how you do those things IN WORDS to a new driver was nearly impossible.
With nearly 40 hours of driving time behind her, my daughter enrolled in a private driver’s ed course (gone are the days of public school driver’s ed—which I slept through out of sheer boredom anyway).
This course was expensive—over $400. But it was taught by active and retired police officers and I WILL say they taught her the LAWS of the road very well. Believe it or not this girl can parallel park! Not something I can boast of myself. (I know, don’t tell anyone).
She passed her driving test the very first time with only a few points taken off.
But here’s the scary thing: she learned NOTHING about car maintenance. Nothing about tire safety. How much air should be in your tires, who knows? How much tread is safe and what is a good way to test tire tread—or even what IS tire tread, nope, nada?!
“Accidents due to tire maintenance are preventable, and simple steps can save lives. Driving on underinflated or overinflated tires or tires with low tread can lead to safety issues on the road.”according to Michelin’s BeyondtheDrivingTest website.
Now I’m asking you…
Did you learn anything about tire safety when you studied to pass the driving test?
Back a hundred years ago when I took the driving test, I remember the light turning from green to yellow while I was just under it. And getting a point taken off ‘just because’ the instructor told me. But I have no memory of any information about tire safety, where the windshield wiper fluid goes, or how to check the oil level.
Michelin has created a teen road safety initiative and is currently sharing information on safe driving and tire safety on BeyondtheDrivingTest.com. And more than sharing accurate information they encouraged independent driving education companies to apply for a $100,000 grant when they create a program to increase tire safety awareness among teenage drivers.
The winner of the grant is the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) which will benefit driver’s education programs in Long Beach, California and Miami, Florida.
Share Your Driving Safety Tips | Twitter Party March 23rd
You can win these Michelin Premier tires during our twitter party!
Join AGirlsGuidetoCars and Michelin Monday March 23rd for a Twitter Chat about #SafeTires and Teen driving education.
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When you fill out the Rafflecopter over on this POST and join in the Twitter Party you could win a new set of tires!
Note: This is a sponsored post. I was asked to share my driving education experience as it relates to my teens.