• Try to eliminate driving during rush hours. Plan trips so that your teen is driving during off-peak times and plan routes to avoid major freeways.

• Allow plenty of time for your teen to get where they need to go.  Being in a hurry or rushing to arrive on time can be an accident waiting to happen.  Have your teen always leave a few minutes early to allow for traffic or weather, and be calm on the road.

• If going on a trip, plan the route in advance or use a GPS system so that your teen is not trying to read a map or figure out directions while driving.

• Set a curfew for your teen to be in the house before midnight.

• If you do not feel your teen is ready to drive on their own, put off allowing them to get their drivers license until you feel they are ready.  Require that your teen complete a Drivers Education Course before allowing them to get their drivers license.

Create a written driver’s agreement between you and your teen. Spell out your limitations and expectations in the contract and list the consequences if your teen does not follow the contract.

Finally, the use of medications for ADHD has been found to improve driving performance in teens with ADHD.  The medication decreases errors caused by inattentiveness.  Medications that are long acting have been found to be better in improving driving skills than the short acting medications.

Sources:

The Teen Driver, PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 6 December 2006, pp. 2570-2581

Do Medications Help  Young ADHD Drivers Ignore Real Life Distractions?, Science Daily, 3 May 2007, University of Virginia Health System 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 23, October 2007, National Institute of Mental Health