I’ve been asked this question numerous times. And the answer is, “It depends.” But first, let’s clarify the question.

What most people intend to ask is if it is legal to make a left turn onto a one-way street with traffic heading to the left after having come to a complete stop at a red light. The answer, in most cases, is “Yes, this is a legal maneuver.”

According to a 2003 pamphlet issued by AAA, the following locations prohibit a left turn on red:

1. Connecticut
2. Missouri
3. North Carolina
4. Rhode Island
5. Vermont
6. New York City

Obviously, if there is a red left-turn arrow, a left turn is expressly prohibited.

Does it matter if the street I’m currently on is a one-way or two-way street?

Unfortunately, I do not know of which states make a distinction. To be 100% safe, I suggest only making a left turn on red when the street you’re on is also a one-way street.

You may experience raw fear and panic. What if they get into an accident? What if one of their friends gets into an accident and my child is in the car? What if my son rear-ends some jerk who claims whiplash and sues us? What if the car breaks down in the middle of the highway?

Since you can’t chauffeur your child for the rest of their life, you must come to terms with the fact that your teen needs to become a responsible adult driver. And the only way to deal with this fear is to equip your teen with the skills, knowledge and experience of a safe driver.

Remember that another side effect of creating a safe, smart, and skillful teenage driver is that one day they can drive themselves to all of their activities. Maybe they can also drive their little brothers and sisters to their activities as well!

Learning to drive requires at least six months of practice.

Driving is a skill that must be thoroughly practiced in order to be mastered. There is no substitute for time behind the wheel. That’s why we have created a series of benchmarks that will help guide you through a typical six month learning process. Obviously, these articles are just an outline and cannot replace the instruction of a professional driving school.

The most important thing to remember is that your teen is about to embark on learning the most dangerous activity they’ll probably ever engage in. Take it seriously and so will they. And don’t sign off on letting your teen have the keys to the family car until they’ve proven themselves.

Learning a new skill means making mistakes.

While learning to walk, toddlers fall down hundreds, if not thousands of times. Each time they fall, they’re learning vital information that will help them do better on their next attempt. Luckily, these mistakes usually do not have disastrous consequences. Perhaps there’ll be some crying and a few bumps and bruises, but nothing life-threatening. Unfortunately, when learning to drive, the stakes are much higher.

A right-of-way mistake on the highway could cause a fatal crash. So, you must start your training with small bits of information in a safe environment. As each skill is mastered, add increasing levels of complexity, distraction, and even danger.

Yes, danger. Driving is a dangerous activity. Eventually, you must expose your teen to nearly every driving scenario so that they will be ready to handle it on their own. If you don’t, you’re doing them a disservice.
This takes time. There is no way to speed this process up or to take shortcuts. You and your teen must put in the practice time. The purpose of these lessons is to make that time productive, safe, and amicable.

Don’t give them the keys just because they turned 16.

You cannot turn your teen loose on the open roads just because they turn 16. Obviously, as a parent, you don’t want to withhold this privilege from your child.

So, lay down the ground rules during the first practice. Explain the entirety of the practice schedule and that you expect them to master a list of tasks before you’ll let them drive on their own.

Driving is a monumental responsibility and your teen is looking forward to learning. Practice with a purpose, have fun, and be safe.

Now, on to your first behind-the-wheel lesson!

Now, had I been in that intersection, we would have been in a serious car wreck. And yes, in the eyes of the law, we would not have violated any traffic rules. The pickup truck had run a red light. They were the ones at fault. But, is that really any consolation for a major, potentially fatal car accident? I don’t think so.

In a nutshell, this is really what defensive driving is all about: assuming that someone else is going to make a mistake and being prepared for those mistakes.

Here are two other common scenarios where being right could end up being the wrong move.

Four-way stops:

You and a car to your left arrive at the four-way stop at the same time. You have the right of way. But, the other car performs a rolling stop and accelerates quickly through the intersection without waiting for you. If you aren’t paying attention to their actions, you could easily end up in a collision.

Exiting the highway:

Cars exiting the highway have the right-of-way over cars entering it. Does every other car on the road know and obey this rule? Probably not. So, if you’re attempting to leave a freeway via a weave lane, be wary of cars using the weave lane to enter the road. Again, you have the right of way, but that doesn’t mean other cars will yield it to you.

When it comes to driving, being safe is more important being right. And in today’s driving environment, being “in the right” does not necessarily mean you’re safe.

1. Blinker Blindness: Your turn signals are not part of your portable psychedelic lightshow. They are solely to be used when you intend to make a turn or enter a road. Example: At a 4-way stop, you reach the intersection at the exact same time as the car across from you. Since neither of you have your turn signal activated, you continue straight (assuming they’ll do the same). All of a sudden, this moron makes a left turn and you almost crash into him. Don’t be that guy. A corollary to this is the person who forgets to turn their blinker off after making the lane change. This confuses every driver around you.

2. Lane Sharing: White dashed lines on the roadway indicate the separation of lanes. Do not straddle lane lines for longer than is necessary to change lanes. If you must occupy two lanes to avoid hitting something, then do so quickly and shift back into your single lane as soon as possible.

3. Boxing Other Cars In: There is nothing worse than coming out to your car to find it “boxed in” by other cars on the curb. If a curb parking spot does not have a two foot margin on the front and rear, then you shouldn’t park there. By inching up to the cars around you, you’re leaving them with no room to get out. This is sure to infuriate other drivers.

4. Slow-poke Driving: Highways have a slow lane and a fast lane. If you are a slow driver, then please stay in the right-most lane (which is usually the slow lane). Do not drive in the fast/passing lane for any reason other than to perform a pass. Clogging up a faster lane is sure to send other drivers into a fit. Simply move over and let the crazy speedsters pass.

5. Tailgating: Tailgating is one of the most annoying driving habits. Don’t do it, ever. It frustrates other drivers and will not get you to your destination any faster. Tailgating a car to try to force them to move over can result in a road-rage incident or a crash. If you hit someone from behind, it’s always your fault for following too closely. So, think about the dangerous and wallet-shrinking consequences of tailgating before you do it.

6. Being a Portable Snow Dispersal Unit: After a snow storm, wipe off any snow that has collected on top of your car, on each window (front, back, and sides), as well as over the headlights and tail lights. If you leave this snow in place, it can blow off while driving and blind the person behind you.

7. Driving with One Foot On Each Pedal: Unless you have a manual transmission car, driving is performed solely with your right foot. Riding the brake confuses other drivers because your brake lights are illuminated, but you’re not slowing down.

8. Poor Stop Light Etiquette: I see this often; the person who stops about 3 feet past the white line at stop lights. Not only can you end up blocking the intersection and get hit by cross-traffic, but you’re not allowing any room for pedestrians to cross safely.

9. Being a Pace Car: This usually only occurs on rural 2-lane highways. If you are driving alongside another car at the same speed, you are blocking all traffic from being able to pass. The right lane is meant for slower cars, therefore only use the left lane when passing.

10. Excessive Braking: Have you ever been in heavy traffic when the car in front of you keeps slamming on his breaks to avoid hitting the car in front of him? Or, when a car keeps tapping his breaks every minute for no apparent reason? Not only is this annoying, but it’s confusing to drivers around you. If you do this for an extended period of time, a “crying wolf” syndrome could occur. Other drivers may not react to your brake lights until it’s too late.

Obviously, we all have our own pet peeves when it comes to driving. The golden rule applies both in Kindergarten classrooms as well as on the open road. Acknowledging other drivers around you and being courteous to them is always a good habit to practice.

1. Not tailgating. Always keep at least one car length per ten miles per hour from the car in front of you. This rule is not only a courteous one, but a safe one as well.

2. Be mindful of your lights. When on small rural streets with few streetlights, remember to turn off your high beams whenever a car approaches from the oncoming lane. Leaving your brights on can partially blind the driver and cause an accident.

3. Help other cars merge. Cars attempting to merge onto a highway are required to yield to the cars already on the highway, but that doesn’t mean you should make things difficult for them if you have the room to get over safely.

4. Keep the left lane clear. The farthest left lane of the highway is intended for passing only. Unless there’s an emergency, do not drive in this lane for extended periods of time. Try not to stay in this lane any longer than necessary so as to not annoy other drivers who wish to use it for passing.

5. Come to a complete stop. If approaching a stop sign, the law says to stop for 3 seconds before proceeding. The “rolling stop” is illegal and annoying to other drivers and pedestrians.

6. Keep your music at a normal level. Don’t be that driver who has their stereo turned up so loud that five cars behind you can hear it. This can cause a distraction and possibly an accident, not to mention that it’s incredibly annoying. If it’s a beautiful day and your windows are down, other drivers will appreciate being able to hear themselves think.

7. Be a good parking neighbor. Your car only requires one parking spot, so please use just one. If parking on a street curb, please pull up as close to the car in front of you without boxing them in. When parking in a parking lot, check to make sure you are parked between the two white lines indicating your individual spot. Make sure that the cars on either side of yours have ample room for the driver and passenger to get into their cars.

8. Keep your car maintained. No one likes to be stuck behind a car expelling a dark smelly cloud of exhaust fumes from its tailpipe. It’s disgusting and illegal. If your car begins to have this problem, get it repaired ASAP. No one wants to breath that in, including you.

9. Strap that mattress down. If you are carrying anything with flight potential in your truck bed, strap it down securely before driving. A 2004 report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found that more than 25,000 accidents a year are caused by litter that is dumped by motorists or falls out of vehicles. If your king-sized mattress is larger than your car, go rent a U-Haul. No one likes to drive behind the 2-door sedan whose driver has an arm out the window trying to hold that Sealy down.

10. Don’t block the intersection. One of the biggest pet peeves for drivers is not being able to go at a green light because the cross traffic is blocking the intersection. If traffic is jammed and your light is green, don’t proceed unless you can make it completely through the intersection.

[Please note that this is NOT safe, and should not be done while driving a vehicle.]

While this may seem like second nature to you, your teenager has no clue how to handle multitasking to this extreme. Growing up, your children see you doing this on a daily basis, therefore deeming this behavior as normal. The minute they get behind the wheel though, they feel that they can handle multi-tasking as well. Obviously they have not had the same amount of practice you have which can prove to be a difficult task.

While I do not condone these types of distractions when driving, it’s important to understand that not all distractions are 100% negative. Learning to pay attention to your surroundings while holding a conversation with fellow passengers can be a good concept to learn.

Given time to practice, your teenager will slowly be able to take on multiple tasks at once, but don’t rush it. When you take your teen out on their first few driving lessons, make sure to keep the radio off and talk in a calm tone. You don’t want to overwhelm your teenager with distracting sounds that can affect his or her driving. Slowly incorporate other factors into the driving lessons, beginning with quiet background noise from the radio. Eventually move onto holding full conversations with them. This will introduce them to all types of distractions that can occur while driving.

Once your teen has obtained their driver’s license, restrict them from having too many passengers in the car at once. Some states have a 3-month rule mandating that for the first 3 months after obtaining a driver’s license, passengers under 20 years of age without a license are not allowed in the car.

If your state does not have this law in place, make it a personal rule for your teenage driver. Not allowing any other passengers in the car will help your teen get comfortable with driving without any major distractions.

There will always be some level of distraction when learning to drive, however, introducing these distractions into your teen’s driving lessons will be one of the most valuable learning skills you can teach.

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There are two main types of skidding: over-steering (fishtailing), and under-steering (plowing).

• Over-steering occurs when the front wheels start to turn but the back wheels spin out to the outside of the curve causing the car to “fishtail.” If this should happen, let off the gas and keep the foot off the breaks. If you already have your foot on the break, let up slowly. Disengage the clutch (if you drive a manual car) then quickly steer the car into the direction you want to go. This is known as “steering into the direction of the skid”. As you turn back into the right direction, counter-steer to get back on track in the original direction you were headed.
• Under-steering occurs when your car doesn’t turn as tightly as you want it to. Typically this happens when the pavement is wet causing little traction between the tires and the pavement. The tires cannot grip as well causing the car to make a much wider turn then it should have.

Another major concern when skidding is hydroplaning. This happens when a car hits a puddle of water, or when it is raining or snowing. Any form of moisture on the ground can cause a tire to lift up off the pavement slightly, allowing water to get under the tire. Once this happens, for a brief period of time your car has no steering ability because your tires are unable to get any traction with the pavement.

One way to figure out if your car is beginning to hydroplane is that your rpm gage will suddenly rev a little bit and your tires, depending on front or rear wheel drive, will start to slide out just a little. Once you regain traction with the pavement, you’ll notice a small jerk in the direction you’re heading. If this happens, don’t worry, as it happens frequently with no harm done.

Noticing the danger signs is one of the biggest lessons to teach a teenager when learning how to drive. Therefore, teaching them to stay calm in all types of weather conditions is the best advice you can give.

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The answer is simple: STOP. According to the law, every driver has to stop at a yellow light unless they are too close to the intersection to stop safely. So, how do you define “too close” to the intersection?

The point of no return

One rule of thumb is that if you are 100 feet or less from the intersection, you have passed the “point of no return” and cannot stop safely before the intersection. Therefore, it is best to continue at your current speed through the intersection, but be cautious as you pass through.

Another “rule of thumb” involves a little math as well as an understanding of braking. Let’s explore the following situation: You’re driving at 30mph and the light turns yellow. You’re approximately 125 feet from the intersection. Have you reached the point of no return?

Here comes the math: It’s going to take you (a seasoned driver) approximately 1.5 seconds to recognize the need to brake and to begin applying the brake. Your car will travel 66 feet during those 1.5 seconds. Once the brake is applied, it will take your car another 43 feet to stop. Therefore, your total stopping distance is 109 feet. Therefore, you have not yet reached the point of no return and you should stop.

Obviously, you can’t perform that kind of math while driving. So, as you approach an intersection, you need to pick out a reference point along the side of the road that will represent the point of no return. So, if the light turns yellow, you can instantly make the decision to continue or to stop.

Be aware of cars behind you

As a good driver, you should always know if you’re being tailgated. As you approach an intersection, use your brakes to get a tailgater to back off a little bit. You don’t want them to slam into you if you must stop quickly at a yellow light.

The higher the speed limit, the longer the yellow light

Based upon the math we were doing earlier, it would make sense for yellow lights to last longer if speeds are higher. A common rule of thumb is that for every 10 miles per hour of speed, the yellow light will last 1 second longer. However, don’t count on this. You should always err on the side of safety. If you run a red light, a police officer is not going to care that you crossed the point of no return. His response will be that you clearly need to work on determining its location.

Green = go. Red = stop. Yellow does not equal “gun it”!

Many drivers see a yellow light and start driving like they stole something. Don’t do that. Remember, if you’re crossing into an intersection and the light is red, you’re breaking the law. You’re also creating a dangerous situation for cross traffic.

When teaching your teenager how to safely negotiate an intersection controlled by a traffic signal, consider the speed you are traveling along with the distance between you and the intersection. If you’re following other cars, it’s a good idea to use cover braking in case the light turns yellow and you need to stop.

Running a red light is incredibly dangerous

Although the purpose of this article is how to determine the point of no return, it’s worthwhile to mention (again) how you should always err on the side of safety. Think about it: Your light is red which means that someone else’s light is green. You’re basically playing chicken (or, more accurately, Frogger) with a 3,000 lb missile. What I’m saying is simple: If you’re within the vicinity of your point of no return, stop.

Okay, you’re invincible. But, is it worth the ticket?

Many new drivers, due to their age, are invincible. As we all know, teenagers are immortal. They’re also the smartest of all humans. Therefore, my arguments regarding danger are, admittedly, irrelevant.

However, teenagers are not independently wealthy. Nor are they immune to tickets and jail. So, is running the light worth getting the ticket? As you are well aware, many municipalities across the United States have started to install red light cameras. These cameras take pictures when the signal switches from yellow to red in order to catch red light runners. Shortly thereafter, the red light runner receives a ticket in the mail.

I hope the next time you see a yellow light that you don’t think about this article. Rather, you simply stop and enjoy the rest of your drive.

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While learning to drive, the most common scenario is the parent instructing (or yelling) at the (nervous) teen behind the wheel.  While you have more experience and knowledge than your teen, that doesn’t that switching up the roles every once in a while is a bad idea.

So, mix up your driving instruction routine every once in a while and allow your teen to provide the instruction. We understand that teaching your teenager how to drive can be a challenge, especially when they start to point out your driving errors. But, don’t overreact.

Rather, encourage your teen to critique your driving skills. While it may be somewhat painful to hear, it’s healthy for your teen to vent a little.  After many driving lessons filled with nagging and frustration, your teenager will probably begin their first role-reversal lesson by mocking your teaching style.

Eventually, that novelty will wear off and they’ll begin to provide constructive (if not nit-picky) criticism.  This has two great benefits.  First, it allows your teen to show off what they’ve learned from you.  Second, it may alert you to some of your bad driving behaviors.  Hey, it’s never too late to improve!

If your teenager notices that you executed a maneuver improperly, acknowledge that your child is right. Your teenager will feel proud that they knew the correct answer, empowering them to do the right thing next time they are behind the wheel.

Obviously, if they point out something they think is wrong, but in fact isn’t, inform them of the correct procedure to follow.

Lead By Example

Make sure not to set bad examples in front of your teenagers when driving. Avoid things like talking on a cellphone, eating, not wearing a seatbelt, etc.

Teenagers are quick to learn behaviors from others, so try to set a good example on a daily basis.

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Driving is dangerous and when you add in impairments like fatigue, drugs and alcohol, and rowdy passengers, the risk of a crash skyrockets. You can help by reassuring your teens that you are available to help anytime, day or night.

At some point, your child is going to be faced with a tough driving-related decision. A friend may not be OK to drive. Or your teen may feel too tired to drive home. Despite your best efforts, they may even be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In any of these situations, you want your teen to feel comfortable to call you for help. Your picking them up at 3am may save their life, the life of a friend, or the lives of other drivers.

By encouraging your teen to do this, you are not giving them carte blanche to misbehave or use you as a cab service. You don’t want your teen to make a decision that could cost them their life because they were afraid you would yell and scream for calling during the middle of the night.

You should make it clear to your teen that their actions may have consequences, but that you’ll take into consideration the fact that they realized they were in no condition to drive. Making the decision to call you was the correct one. However, this shouldn’t absolve them of any wrong doing if they were drinking or abusing drugs.

It’s up to you, as a parent, to convince your teen that calling you for help is a better decision than taking the risk of driving impaired.

Experts encourage you to talk about this with your children years before they reach the legal driving age. Strong relationships forged at an early age prove to be beneficial when children reach their teenage years.

If a child knows from an early age that they can come to a parent for help at any time, regardless of what the situation may be, they will be more likely to continue doing so even into those trying teenage years.

If you happen to live in a larger city with readily available cab service, make sure your teenager leaves with enough cab fare to get home in case of an emergency. Many cab companies take debit and credit cards.

If you cannot afford a cell phone plan for every member of the household, let your teenager borrow the cell phone for the night in case of emergencies. Even an inactive cell phone can call 911.

Listening is one of the most important things to do when raising a teenager. Many teens feel their parents don’t understand them. Let them know that you just want the best for them and that you’re worried about them driving on their own. They may moan and groan, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t hear you.

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