Your child earning their driver’s license is often coupled with a variety of emotions. You feel proud that they reached this important life milestone and you might feel a little sad that your child has grown up so much. One of the most prominent emotions, however, is fear. You have heard the statistics that 16-year-old drivers have the highest crash rate of any other age. Therefore, you want to take every opportunity possible to protect your child and offer them every precaution possible. Here are 5 things your child should never leave home when heading out on the road.

Smart Roadside Assistance
You want to know that if your teen has car trouble, they can get help quickly regardless of their location. Thanks to Smart Roadside Assistance, your child can be matched with the nearest assistant.

With the program, you can also get real-time updates and see clearly when the service provider arrives. As they begin to work on the car, you can also get service updates to let you know what is going on the with the car and when it will be ready to go. When it comes to the safety of your child, you want to make sure that they have whatever they might need should car troubles arise.

Our partner, Agero, is a nationwide roadside assistance provider and an industry pioneer for the last 50 years. Leveraging technology and an agent workforce made up of specially-trained agents Agero can handle all customer roadside assistance needs. So whether you need a tow, a tire change, a winch, a locksmith, or just a little fuel, you will back on the road without any of the worry.

GPS
The days of the front seat passenger frantically trying to read a large paper map are long over. Now travelers generally use smartphones to keep them connected and provide a GPS. With a GPS, parents will know that their driver will find their way home, regardless of where they might be.

Since so many phones come already equipped with a GPS as well, all parents might want to stock the car with a mount to hold the phone. An easy-to-use mount allows teens to use the GPS in a safer, hands-free way.

A hands-free speakerphone that works with voice prompts
Before your teen takes on the roads, you likely drilled into them about the dangers to using their cellphones while driving. Today’s drivers have so many opportunities to get distracted, particularly when their phones are constantly beeping with new social media or text alerts.

Although your teen can likely recite the dangerous statistics associated with cell phones and driving, you want to make sure that if a call does come in, they do not glance over to see who calls or try to squeeze in ‘just a quick call’ at that red light ahead. An estimated 56 percent of teen drivers say that they talk on the phone in the car. Making sure your teen has a safer way to do so can be lifesaving.

To help keep them safe, invest in a hands-free speakerphone that works through voice prompts. With this safety feature, your teen will not have to glance over at their phone– they can answer calls and make their quick response without having to move their hands or take their eyes off the road.

Emergency tools
No teen should even leave home without the appropriate emergency equipment in their car and at least rudimentary knowledge of how to use them. They should have:

• Jumper cables to help if their car battery ever dies and they cannot get their car to start. They can also help out friends who do not have this valuable device.
• The tools needed to change a tire, including an extra tire.
• Flares to call attention to their car should it ever stop on the street to let others be aware of a breakdown.
• An emergency tool to cut through seatbelts and break windows. This is the type of tool that you buy hoping it just sits in the glovebox and never gets used. If it is ever needed, however, it could save somebody’s life.

The idea of your child venturing out behind the wheel of their own car is frightening and at Apparent Insurance, we know how important keeping your teen safe is. We are here to consult you on the best plans for your family and can help guide you to the best coverage packages suited for you needs. Simply get a quote here: to get started!