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Step 1
Talk to your teen. Explain the science behind what makes roads so dangerous in the rain. Oil builds on roadways everyday so when it begins to rain, the roads are very slick from the mixture of oil and water. We need to slow down.
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Step 2
Avoid nagging or the use of the word "you." The rules apply to all of us, so teach your teen about applying the brakes sooner or with less force on a wet surface by using the word "we." Tell them that we need to warn the person behind us that we are slowing down.
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Step 3
Caution that when there is a downpour, we lose visibility quickly for a number of reasons: headlights, the rain itself, and fog on the windshield. Teach rain safety to your teen by explaining the importance of using headlights, blinkers and the defroster. Assure them that it's fine for them to pull over until the deluge has passed and give an example of when you did so.
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Step 4
Educate teenagers about flash floods and never driving through water across a roadway. We also need to avoid any puddles in the roadway to prevent hydroplaning. Cruise control should be off so we can control acceleration.
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Step 5
Set an example when you are driving and ride along with your teenager in the rain so you can coach them.
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Step 6
Teach rain safety to teen drivers by making certain they take a driver's education course.
