The first, and most important, priority is to remind kids to slow down! They need to plan ahead, leave early and take all the time they need to arrive at their destination on time. Then give them the gentle reminder that if they cannot find themselves able to do those things, it is better to arrive late than not arrive at all. What is ironic, is that many adults could use the same advice.
Secondly, remind your kids about bridges and overpasses: Those surfaces freeze much faster because they do not have any ground beneath them to keep them warm, so the last thing your kids need to be doing is swerving around other cars while on a bridge or overpass.
Next, teens have to realize that driveways, neighborhoods, side streets, on-ramps and off-ramps are not going to have the same road treatment as the main roads and highways. Even if they remember this concept while getting out of their neighborhoods, they have to remember it universally in these other circumstances.
Finally, when it comes to teens and their cars, most of them do not have the luxury of parking in the garage. That means that teens are required to do several things before setting out for school: 1. Turn on your car (while it is outside), and turn on your defroster, both front and back. 2. Scrape whatever precipitation may have gathered on your windows/windshields off and away from your car. 3. Scrape of your outside rearview mirrors. 4. Be patient enough to let your defrosters work so that if you get finished with tasks two and three and yet your windshield is still fogging up, SIT THERE and let the defroster do its work. Tell them to not be stupid and go driving with only the lower half of their windshield visible.
When I mentor teens, one of the things I tell them is that I get to nag them from all the love in my heart, and I mean it. This is definitely one of those opportunities, where they may have heard the advice from several different people, but because you are their mentor, they will actually listen to you. Let’s hope so.
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