Straight Talk For Teens By Teens

It certainly is safer “politically” to tell your child to follow the rules or lose the car, but most teens engage in restricted activities if they think they can get away with it. With a Bluetooth there is a better chance they won’t text, which is the main cause of accidents. I agree, the advice sounds “off,” but it’s better to be safer in the true sense of the word, rather than politically safe.

I’m appalled that teens like “Jason” disrespect their fellow drivers with something as dangerous as texting and driving. However, this law prohibiting drivers under 18 from using their phone is really dumb. And allowing texting for those over 18 is even dumber. As a parent, it is your job to protect your child. If you think your child is going to text anyway, get him a Bluetooth and insist he use Jott (www.jott.com), which lets you send text messages via voice.

If your priority is to force your child to toe the line, by all means, give ultimatums. It won’t work, but if it keeps your conscience clean, go ahead. However, if your priority is to keep your child safe, you will take a less dogmatic approach. I cannot overemphasize the importance of trust and cooperation between parents and teens. If you start threatening and using “leverage” against your kids, I guarantee a backlash. At the very least, they will be evasive and dishonest with you. Parents who listen to their child with an open mind, and approach something like the cell phone ban practically and flexibly have the best chance of getting their teen to comply with their wishes.

A 17-year-old should pay for his own legal mistakes. At this age, take it out of the parent’s hand and give it to the law’s.

Whoa! If you remove your child’s driving privileges, you end up being the chauffeur — either that or he’ll ride with friends (who likely text or talk while driving). If you want teens to be safer while driving, get them cars with automatic transmissions (which frees up a hand) and insist they use a Bluetooth.

Tell your son that a senior in my high school just died while texting. Her mom texted her and when she texted back she ran off the road and was killed. Another senior ran a stop sign while texting and killed an elderly man.

Get him a Bluetooth. These wireless, hands-free, ear pieces will be hard for police to see. It’s MUCH safer than texting.

I start driving in December. I probably will text at red lights and possibly use a voice-activated phone. A voice-activated, hands-free device should be allowed for everyone, no matter the age.

It is no more dangerous to hold a cell phone to your ear than to eat while you drive. This law will only cause people, especially teens, to find sneakier (and more hazardous) ways to use their phones.

I don’t plan to abide by the new law. Convince your son to talk instead of text, it’s much safer.

People do stupid things while on their cell phones, so I think it’s a good law. I almost never text while driving and I have a Bluetooth — but getting it set up while driving can be dangerous, too.

Being a responsible driver means following the law which I will do. Tell your son how you feel, but don’t force anything or he will just lie to you. Don’t get mad at him for telling the truth or he won’t be honest again.

When I first started driving, I looked down to push in a CD and drove into oncoming traffic. Since then, I have respect for distractions. I don’t text unless I’m stopped. When I’m moving, I use Bluetooth and speed dial. If you must text, a free, super-easy, voice-activated service called Jott converts voice into text. The website is www.jott.com. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a mistake to wake someone up.