Be The Driver You Want Your Child To Be #TeenDrive365

In a few short years, my oldest daughter will start driving. The mere thought fills me with anxiety. Driving is a privilege. Not to be taken lightly by either the experienced driver nor the novice one.

However, so many of us take driving for granted. We hop in our cars each morning and drive to work or to school for the morning drop off. We do it on auto-pilot, sometimes hardly noticing our surroundings.

Most of what I know about driving I've learned from experience. It's practical knowledge that I learned on the road. I learned it driving back and forth to work, to PTO meetings, to the grocery store, to the park with my children in tow. This information can't be found in a book. It's in my head.

And when my daughter learns to drive in less than 4 years, you can bet I'll pass it along to her. And with the help of Toyota, I'll be armed with information to keep my daughter safe behind the wheel as she learns to drive.

For over a decade, Toyota has been committed to finding engaging ways to keep teens safe as they learn to drive. Toyota has created TeenDrive365, a collection of online resources to help parents prepare their teens for a lifetime of safe driving. TeenDrive365 strives to enable parents to keep the lines of communication open with their teens long after they have gotten their driver's licenses.

TeenDrive365 includes a Mutual Driver Agreement, special teen events in cities across the country, and safe driving tips. Toyota believes that safety on the road is about more than just driving a safe and reliable car. It's about driver education, too.

Here is an excerpt from the Mutual Driving Agreement, which Toyota encourages both parents and teens to sign:

Studies show that teens learn good and bad driving habits from their parents. If we set good examples for our teens, they will follow. If they see us eating while we drive, they are likely to do the same. Let's wait until we get home to snack on carrots sticks. If a teen sees you check out that notification you just received while driving home from soccer practice, she is more likely to do the same.

When I was learning to drive, I was so self-focused. I wish someone had given me a few key tips such as:

• Pay as much attention to other drivers as you are to your own driving.
• When traveling out of state, know the common road rules.
• Keep the number of passengers in your car to a minimum. They can be VERY distracting.
• Know what to do in the event of an emergency or accident.
• Be aware of changing speed limits, which can occur frequently in small towns.
• Know where the registration and insurance information is kept in a shared car.

Visit Toyota's TeenDrive365 to learn more about common distractions teen face when driving, how teens imitate their parents when driving, safe driving tips, and to take a quiz with your teen to see who has more safe driving knowledge.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions are strictly my own.