Set a Good Example for Teen Drivers – Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of megabus.com. The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Set a Good Example for Teen Drivers - Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving

How to Set a Good Example for Teen Drivers

In the blink of an eye, my kids will be teen drivers. In the state of Iowa, 14 1/2 year olds are legally able to get a school driver’s permit and drive themselves and one sibling to school. We’re not there yet, but will be before I know or am ready for it. My babies are not supposed to be so old, because I tell you what, I haven’t aged at all in the last 20 years… 😀

April is Distracted Driving Month, so with the help of Megabus.com, I’m telling you, it’s time to put down the phone and set a good example for your kids. They might not be teen drivers, yet, but they will be before you know it. And you better bet they’re watching how you drive RIGHT NOW. Whatever it is that tempts you to pick up your phone when you’re driving, it can wait. 

Repeat after me. It. Can. Wait. 

The teen driving statistics are down right scary and too many young lives have been lost. Many adults are incapable of putting down the phone and driving, so how can we expect our kids to do the same?

Teen Driver Cell Phone Statistics

According to EdgarSynder.com,

Tips for distraction free driving. Set a good example for teen drivers.

      • Eleven teens DIE every day as a result of texting while driving.
      • 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admit to doing it anyway.
      • Teen drivers are four times more likely than adults to get into car crashes or near-crashes when talking or texting on a cell phone.

Go ahead admit it. You have texted in your car in front of your kid. I’ve done it too. I’ve driven behind people who I know are swerving to stay between the road lines because they are distracted by their phone. I’ve watched people text and drive down the interstate or when they’re stopped at a traffic light. Distracted drivers are scary, scary, scary. Our little community of only 2,000 people has lost teens recently due to texting. It’s tragic but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving

So how do we avoid distracted driving? First and foremost, it’s time to put down the phone. Believe me, I know first hand how hard this is. We’ve been trained like Pavlov trained his dogs (who salivated at the ring of a bell) to reach for our phone as soon as we hear the notification ding. But it is possible to leave the phone alone in the car. Here are my tips for driving distraction free:

        1. Put your phone away when you’re driving. I keep my phone either in my purse or in a little compartment in my car so I’m less likely to grab it at stop lights. This gets trickier when I need to use my GPS and I honestly don’t have a good strategy in place yet for that because I don’t have GPS in my car. I’m working on it though.
        2. Turn off the ringer on your phone when you’re driving. If I don’t hear the notification chime, I’m much less likely to reach for my phone out of habit. And honestly. What can possibly be so important to justify an instantaneous response?
        3. Pair your phone’s blue tooth with your car so it automatically answers if someone calls and you can talk without removing your hands from the steering wheel.
        4. Don’t text people when you know they’re driving. Why add the temptation?
        5. If you absolutely must respond to an urgent request, pull over. Just pull your car over. Turn it off, and take care of business before you get back on the road.

Consider MegaBus an alternative for long distance travel.

I have used public transportation a lot in the US and Europe and love all the benefits it offers! I also find it to be pretty darn cost effective and honestly, it’s just fun!

Mega Bus Distraction Free Driving

“distracted ride” versus drive. Public transportation with megabus.com could be an option for your next road trip! Catch up on emails with onboard Wi-Fi and watch your favorite shows or movies on your personal device and don’t worry about causing an accident or setting a bad example for your kids.

Mega Bus Distraction Free Driving

Megabus.com maintains the highest (Satisfactory) safety compliance rating with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and is the leader when it comes to safety among double decker buses. In the last 10 years, the company has:

1. Invested $1.5M in a central support system which monitors all the buses activities in real time supported by a staff 24-7.  With a SmartTire alert system, speeding alerts, real time and GPS tracking. The GPS tracking system allows megabus.com to identify any low bridges and automatically lowers the suspension when going through planned routes with low clearance, like the Lincoln Tunnel.
2. Has had seatbelts in all buses since 2007, which is not currently a federal requirement.
3. Instituted a policy requiring  two drivers onboard between 12 and 5 a.m. and drivers are required to take nine hours off in between shifts instead of the required eight hours.
4. Uses GreenRoad Eco-Driving Technology which gives drivers the information, tools and motivation they need to drive safer. The system detects risky maneuvers and warns drivers so they can self-correct in real-time. GreenRoad analyzes more than 150 maneuvers, across 5 categories – acceleration, braking, lane changing, cornering, and speeding.  At the management level, powerful analytic tools let megabus.com identify potentially hazardous areas and problematic trends before they lead to serious incidents.

Megabus.com  is the first, affordable, express bus service to offer city center-to-city center travel for as low as $1. With service to and from more than 120 major cities in North America from 23 hubs in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Gainesville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, San Francisco, St. Louis, Texas Triangle (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio), Washington, D.C. and Toronto, there’s probably an option in there for you! If you’ve got a trip on the horizon, I hope you’ll check out the distraction- ride options offered by megabus!!

Megabus and I are asking you to put down your phone in honor of Distracted Driving Month this April. Do it for your kids. If you have a tip for distraction-free driving that I didn’t share, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of megabus.com. The opinions and text are all mine.

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

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