Have a new teen driver in the family?
Celebrate this huge milestone with some practical gifts to keep your teen safe on the road.
Even if your teen isn’t driving yet, it’s never too late to learn. Aceable drivers ed will teach your teen everything they need to know to drive safely and with confidence.
Give the Gift of Safety
Does this sound familiar? Your teen passed their drivers ed course. They have practiced driving with you for hours and hours and passed their driving test. Woohoo! They made an appointment to get their driver’s license, brought all the right paperwork to the DMV, and finally they have their license! Hooray! It’s the day you’ve both been waiting for!
Now, you are watching them pull out of the driveway to head out onto the open road solo, and you wonder if you’ve prepared them well enough. You want to be sure they’ll be safe and ready for any potential hazard they may encounter.
Don’t worry! (Well, you’ll probably still worry a little, but that’s normal.) We’ve thought of everything your teen might need to stay safe on the road: from sunglasses to safety vests, from snacks to antifreeze. Keep reading for some creative gift ideas to keep teen drivers safe on the road.
In Case of Emergency
Dead batteries, flat tires, and breakdowns happen. It’s always a good idea to be prepared just in case. If you shop around online, you’ll find lots of ready-made roadside emergency kits that your teen can keep in the trunk just to be on the safe side. Signing up for roadside assistance is also a great way to make sure your teen has the help they need whenever they need it.
Here’s a list of items you’ll want to make sure your teen has in their car:
Jumper cables
Reflective safety vest
Warning triangle
Light sticks
Tool kit
First aid kit
Emergency foil blanket
Umbrella
Poncho
Non-slip gloves
LED flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries
Tow rope
Cold Weather Safety
An unexpected snowstorm, an icy windshield, or a long wait for a tow truck can be really scary or no big deal if you have the right equipment with you.
Here are some items that will ensure your teen is prepared when the temperature drops:
Sunglasses (Snow is bright!)
Ice scraper
Snow brush
Folding snow shovel
Windshield snow cover
Windshield de-icer
Hat
Gloves
Antifreeze
Summertime Safety
Being stranded in the heat can also be dangerous if you’re unprepared. Make sure your teen’s car is stocked with at least a gallon of water. (Boxed water if a good option for hot and cold weather.) A towel is also a great thing to keep in the car. A towel can serve as protection from a hot seat, or it could provide padding for your teen’s knees if they have to change a tire. Having a bottle of antifreeze (aka coolant) can come in handy if your teen’s car ever overheats (antifreeze also keeps the radiator from freezing in the cold). Make sure your teen knows where the antifreeze goes and how to add it safely.
Here’s a list of suggestions for what to have handy in the heat:
Sunglasses
A towel
Seat cover and/or seatbelt cover
Sunscreen
Water (at least one gallon)
Antifreeze (coolant)
Changing a Flat
Most drivers will have to deal with a flat tire at some point. Make sure your teen knows what to do if they get a flat. Practice changing a tire at home. Ask your teen to add the number for roadside assistance to their phone and explain when and how they can use the service.
Here are some helpful flat-fixing items to keep in the car:
Tire gauge
Spare tire that is fully inflated
Car jack
Lug wrench (if there isn’t one included as part of the car jack)
Car owner’s manual
Work gloves
Headlamp for changing a tire in the dark
Wheel wedges to place behind the tire on the opposite side of the car from the flat
Everyday Safety Items
Being hungry may not be as big of an emergency as a flat tire, but it can feel that way sometimes. Make sure your teen has what they need to focus on the road and drive safely.
Navigation system
Snacks with a long shelf-life
Reusable shopping bags
Hand sanitizer
Toilet paper/tissues
Feminine hygiene products
Phone charger
Emergency money
Emergency supplies for health issues, such as diabetes
A car organizer with a cooler to keep everything cool, calm, and collected
Hopefully these ideas have your wheels turning with gift ideas for your teen driver. You can always get them a special new key chain or fancy wallet to showcase their new license, but why not also throw in a bottle of antifreeze and a roadside emergency kit while you’re at it? Better safe than sorry!
Ready to keep your teen safe on the road? Sign them up for drivers ed today!