Set the Standard for Safe Driving in Your Household

Driver safety involves everyone in your household. And when you have a teen or new driver, it's especially important for the whole family to be on the same page.

There are many ways you could define what driver safety means in your household, and each member of your family might have their own priorities or opinions on what the rules should be.

For teen drivers, things can seem especially confusing and overwhelming. Between formal driver education and practicing at home, they are trying to balance learning your house rules, memorizing state laws and regulations, and developing new physical skills for maneuvering a vehicle safely (parallel parking practice, anyone?)

Set your safety standards with a Household Driving Contract

One great way to control some of the chaos is by making your rules and expectations official with a household driving contract. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually a simple three-step process:

Why make it official?

Here are a few examples of how your household driving contract can help address some specific questions or concerns that might arise during your family discussion.

Benefits for Parents & Guardians

If you're a parent or guardian of a young driver, you might feel like you're under a lot of pressure. Not only are you expected to model good driving practices yourself—you're also responsible for mentoring your teen driver and making sure they get the practice and skill development they need to be a good driver.

In your driving contract, consider defining the behaviors and responsibilities that will help you be a good driving role model, a respectful communicator, and a fair partner in teaching your teen to be a smart and safety-conscious driver.

Benefits for Teens and Young Drivers

As for teens and other drivers who are new to the road? You're likely feeling the pressure, too! Learning to drive can be exciting, but you're also taking on a whole new level of responsibility. A driving contract can reduce uncertainty about rules and your responsibilities as a new driver in your household, allowing you to focus more fully on learning and practicing safely.

As one example, some vehicles drive differently in certain weather conditions, while others may include driver-assistance features that are unfamiliar—especially if you’re borrowing someone else’s vehicle. One of your driving contract commitments could be learning these important details about every vehicle you drive before you hit the road.

Peer pressure can also complicate things. You probably want to go out and have fun with your friends, but you also need to consider your family's rules on passengers and their etiquette—not to mention any state laws that apply. Use your driving contract to clarify those expectations ahead of time so you can avoid any misunderstandings on both sides.

Lastly, your top priority should always be making safe and smart decisions, whether you're driving yourself or getting a ride from a friend. Remember: Your personal safety is more important than any vehicle, and your driving contract is a great place to define an action plan for what to do in a situation where you feel your safety is compromised.

Create Your Household Driving Contract

By working together to define your household's guidelines for driver safety, you'll be playing a key role in keeping everyone safer when driving.

To make things quick and easy, we have a pre-made household driving contract that you can download and use as is:

However, if you would prefer to modify our contract, or start from scratch, here are some topics to consider discussing with your household:

• Expectations for following all traffic safety laws, including wearing a seatbelt
• Prohibiting all mobile phone use while driving, and limiting calls on hands-free devices to only the most critical
• Dangerous distractions to avoid—which applies to both drivers and passengers
• Understanding proper use of all driver assistance technologies in the vehicle before driving
• Never driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or sleep/drowsiness-inducing medications
• Defining an action plan for when someone is faced with riding in a vehicle with a driver who is under the influence
• Clarifying who is and is not allowed to ride as a passenger with a teen driver (laws can vary by location)

Additional Resources

• Find out how you can ready your teen driver for the road—and save on insurance
• Learn more about our Teen Driver program and how to enroll in teenSMART^® driver safety training
• Not a member? Talk to a local independent agent today about our thoughtful coverage for Home & Auto

The information we share on our site is intended to serve as a general overview. Please refer to your policy or contact your local independent agent for specific coverage details.