CarVi | Next Generation Driving Assistant

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Learning to drive is a skill most all late teens take on. Understandably, this makes a lot of parents nervous. Driving can be dangerous, and the roads are filled with people that you have no control over. For this reason, many parents decide to teach their kids to drive themselves. While this can be a good idea, it's helpful to keep some guidelines in mind. Here are some tips to help keep you and your teenager on the right track while learning to drive.

  Practice makes perfect

This can’t be stressed enough. The only way to really learn how to drive, is to do it again and again. Just like learning a new language, learning to swim, or learning to play an instrument, driving takes many hours of practice to become proficient and confident. Devoting a lot of time to practice with your teenager, is really the only way of ensuring that they will be ready for the road.

  Prepare what skills to practice

So what to do when planning the first driving lesson? Start by having a good idea of what you want to cover or accomplish. Have a plan and a goal, and once you reach that goal, stop. Driving can be pretty stressful, especially for someone who is just learning it, so make sure that you give plenty of time for mastering a skill before moving on to another one.

  Now for the skills.

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Teach basic skills first – find a safe location (parking lot)

Find a large, empty, and preferably paved place for learning the most basic driving skills: acceleration, deceleration, braking, and turns, along with the basic handling of the automobile. A large space is ideal for this, since it will give plenty of room for practicing without the risk of hitting anything.

  Teach intermediate skills next – find a back road with low traffic

Once you're confident in your teen's ability to direct the vehicle places, take him or her out onto some actual roads. This kind of location is ideal for practicing things like slowing down on turns, stopping fully at stop signs, practicing with 4-way stop signs, safe following distances, driving safely around pedestrians, runners, animals, and etc., maintaining speed uphill, and street sign familiarity.

  Teach advanced skills last – find a busier road

Finally, you'll want to advance to a busier street to learn some more advanced driving skills. You may also want to have your teenager drive on a highway, as well. Busier roads and highways will let you practice changing lanes, merging, keeping a safe and consistent speed, and working with intersections.

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Use CarVi to track your progress all along

All of this seems like a pretty big challenge. Fortunately, the CarVi app can help you track and record your teen's progress. It can also record driving habits and recommend strategies for altering them.

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Becoming a driver is one thing, but becoming a responsible driver is another. Not only is driving itself fairly dangerous, but it represents an important step toward adulthood and independence. It is important to make sure new drivers understand the responsibility that they hold while operating a vehicle, amidst all the excitement involved with new freedom. Here are a few tips to help new drivers gain an understanding of the responsibilities.

  Require their help with costs and maintenance of driving

Putting a bit of the financial burden of owning a car on your teenager early, will help them adjust to the large fiscal responsibility of owning a vehicle. Also, educate your teenager about car insurance and how it works. Driving is no free ride and knowing this early will help them to be more careful.

Write a contract

Establish ground rules for how the car should be used, how your teenager should drive, and what will happen if the rules aren't followed. Put it in writing and require their signature.

  Require them to take the car to get maintenance

Taking regular care of a car is important to its proper functioning, so new drivers should be required to regularly clean their car and have it serviced. There is nothing like cleaning your own car inside and out to help understand the value of it. They will then see every little scratch or nick.

  Be a good role model

This one can have a surprisingly big impact. You've been a role model to your teenager their whole life, so they'll take their cues from you on your driving behavior. For example, if you regularly tailgate people on the highway, this will implicitly tell your teenager that tailgating people on the highway is okay, even if you've said that it isn't.

Be a patient and supportive teacher

Driving is scary. A lot of teenagers are understandably nervous about doing it, and it’s okay to take it slow. On the flip side, it’s alright for teenagers to be eager about driving too, as long as they're safe. Be understanding of your teenager's needs and feelings about driving. Be mindful of how you correct them and be sure to be patient and encouraging.

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Plan your route

Forward thinking is key here. Teach them to figure out where they are going before they step on the gas. Otherwise, new drivers can easily get confused which can lead to accidents.

Don't allow cell phone use

Texting and driving is illegal, but it's also a good idea to not let them talk on the phone and drive. This keeps their eyes on the road where they need to be.

  Minimize distractions

Do whatever you can to make sure driving is without distractions that might cause accidents. This often means limiting the amount of people they can have in the car, and gradually allowing more over time. Additionally, this includes rules about cellphones, music, eating in the car, etc.

  Don't tolerate speeding

Speeding increases the risk of fatality for your teen and others around them. Stress the importance of following the speed limit at all times, as well as the consequences of not following the rule. Give advice about leaving 15 minutes early to be prepared for any delays in traffic.

  Practice defensive driving

Teach them to always be driving on the defense, and don’t trust others will always follow the laws. Always be ready to avoid an obstacle and, when in doubt, opt for the safe side.

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Don't drive in bad weather

If the weather is bad, make it clear that it is better to be safe than sorry. With all the care the new driver put into their new car, do they really want to risk damaging it. Heavy rain, snow, sleet, and other bad weather, raises the level of risk for all drivers on the road so it is best to be avoided. .

  Utilize Technology

Nowadays we have the convenience of hands free technology to help us manage our driving habits and look out for others. CarVi is one such app that gives real-time driving information and warnings. It can seriously help driving both in teenagers and adults as it records driving performance and suggests alterations to bad driving habits.

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In the United States, getting a driver's license means a huge step toward independence for teenagers. Especially for teens living in areas without reliable and convenient public transportation. Getting a license means not relying on one's parents to get places and do things.

It provides them with greater potential for friends, activities and getting their own job.

  While exciting for teens, and also more convenient for parents than being a personal chauffeur, it is a bit scary. There are many dangers that await a teen on the road, and parents won’t always be there to point them out. Let’s take a closer look at these dangers and solutions which have been created.

  Being nervous is normal

Although teens are approaching adulthood at a breakneck pace, they are still children, and it's

understandable for parents to worry about them driving. After all, motor vehicle accidents are one of the number one causes of death among American teenagers. Statistically, it is much more likely for a teenager to die in a motor vehicle accident than any other cause of death! This is why there has been so much legislature passed in the last twenty years about teenage driving.

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Delayed licensing laws have helped

Since 1996, many states have passed laws that institute a requirement for 30-50 hours of supervised driving experience before they'll issue a license. Additionally, most states now require teenagers to be aged 16 before they can get their license, even if they can get a learner's permit as early as 15.

  These laws have taken measures to standardize teenage driving behavior (where previously, teens may have been instructed informally by their parents or friends) and have led to a significant reduction in fatalities among teenaged drivers.

CarVi can help

Fortunately for worried parents and unsure teenage drivers everywhere, technology can also help. Apps, such as the Carvi app, have been developed. It, for example, serves as an automated “co-pilot” when driving, giving driving tips and recording driving performance to assess good and bad habits. In real time, it gives driving feedback and assesses driving conditions to warn the driver of potential dangers and challenges. It is like having your own personal driving coach at all time.

First Steps by Carvi - 

Our design team has been working on a number of really cool designs for Carvi.  We can't wait to share the designs with you all once we are ready. 

CarVi – A co-pilot for you and your loved ones. Drive safe. Monitor your driving habit. Improve your skills. Offers peace of mind for parents of teenage drivers.

Get more info at www.getcarvi.com