Wrong Message? Some parents worry that offering a ride home could send the wrong message and make teens believe it’s okay to drink alcohol. Even if you offer a ride home, you can still enforce previously established consequences for breaking the no-alcohol rule. Assure your teen that their safety is the #1 priority. When teens have good communication with their parents and trust that their parents won’t overreact (by getting angry and setting harsh or unknown punishments), teens are more likely to call home for help. When your teen calls you to pick them up because either they or someone else has been drinking: • Pick up your teen and get them home safely. Be calm and not angry on the way home. • If the established household rule has been broken, pick the soonest appropriate time to discuss consequences with your teen. It may be best to wait until the next day. • Talk again about the rules and consequences. Remind them, you only want to keep them safe. !
Tips for Keeping Teens Safe on the Road MADD recommends that parents make clear rules about driving to help keep their teens safe. Parents should become familiar with the provisions of graduated drivers licensing (GDL) and zero tolerance laws in their state and firmly enforce those rules. GDL laws prevent about one in five crashes for teen drivers.
Take the following steps to help keep teens safe:
• Have specific driving rules Follow all posted road laws, limit the number of
passengers, and absolutely no cell phone use while driving.
• Set no-alcohol use rules along with curfews and limited nighttime and weekend driving. • Discuss with your teen the dangers of riding with anyone who has had any
REMEMBER Your teen is looking to you to be an example!
amount of alcohol or cannabis. Make a plan with your teen in case they find themselves in an unsafe situation.
One of the best ways to enforce these safety skills is to model it yourself.
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