New Bedford Driving School Shares Tips for National Teen Driving Safety Week

As we mark National Teen Driving Safety Week, we sat down for an insightful conversation with the staff at Martin Driving School.  Helena Martins and Nelson Alves both gave us the unfiltered importance of instilling responsible driving habits in our teens and the initiatives making a difference on the roads.

"Teens need to learn good driving habits early on in their training to help prevent future accidents." Helena said, "parents also need to have patience with their child as they continue to grow."  She advised parents to let their child drive without offering too much negative nit-picking type of feedback.  Clearly, if there is an impending collision you'd want to step in, but minor corrections should be left to the professional driving instructors.

When asked about the percentage of texting related accidents, Nelson Alves said he thinks the younger generation is becoming more aware of the dangers of texting while driving.  "They're getting the message while their parents, who have already established bad habits, are having difficulties shaking those habits."

We asked Helena what advice she would give to any teen drivers listening."Don't listen to your friends!" She stressed "you'll rather be a chicken than a dead duck."

Martins also questioned the logic of going fast.  "Let's say you have a really nice Mustang.  If you drive it fast no one will know that it's you.  You want to drive that Mustang nice and slow so that everyone sees how great you look in it!"

Parents are urged to use National Teen Driving Safety Week as an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with your teen drivers about the importance of being safe while they drive.