4. Full-privilege Licence

Goal

Your to do's

Points to remember

Your teen has been driving for a minimum of two years now. Suitable goals depend on the amount of driving experience your teen has. By the time they get their full-privilege licence, some teens are driving almost every day, while others continue to drive only occasionally. If the latter, you may wish to continue working on goals, to do's and points to remember from previous pages.
1. Continue to monitor your teen's driving. Ask them to drive when you go out together as a family, for example. Provide feedback - positive and negative.  
2. Re-visit your house rules and family contract. Modify based on your judgment of your teen's driving.  
3. Continue reminding your teen about the risks of teenage driving. Complacency and overconfidence can be deadly.  
4. Continue reminding your teen about safety factors each and every time they get behind the wheel. For example, watch for slippery roads — and other drivers — if it's raining; use headlights if visibility is a factor (e.g., due to dusk, fog or rain); be aware that even a small amount of alcohol — can affect their judgement.  
5. Continue to support your teen's commitment to be a safe driver. Ensure they know that you will be available for rides home, or can provide taxi fare, if they feel they cannot drive for any reason. 

A full-privilege licence does not need to be the end of coaching, rules and your family contract. Your continuation of these tools will depend on your comfort level, your teen's experience level and your own family dynamics

18 and 19-year-olds — even those with a few years of driving experience — can still be impulsive and overconfident about their driving abilities. Keep up your own concern and vigilance.

Is your teen thinking of buying their own car? Help them ensure that it's as safe as possible. The ICBC Web site has detailed safety information on both new and used cars and trucks. Review this with your teen as part of your buying decision. The Web site also has a useful used car checklist.

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