So, your teen is a new driver and wants your car this Friday night to go to a school basketball game. You live in a snowy climate, and your first concern is that your teen stays safe when driving in winter weather.

Parents worry about their kids all the time but are more anxious when they drive. The following are some winter driving tips you can share with your teen to help keep them safe driving In winter weather and notch your anxiety down a bit.

8 Ways To Stay Safe In The Snow

1. Safe winter driving begins before your daughter or son gets behind the wheel. Teach them to inspect lights and glass before they drive. If a light is broken, have it repaired before giving your car to your kid. Teach them to scrape ice off all windows and to keep an ice scraper in the car. This way, they have optimal visibility.

2. Make sure your car has a winter driving emergency kit. The kit should includes things such as abrasive material like sand or salt, a snow brush, snow shovel, flashlight, gloves, blankets and flares.

3. Remind your kids that unless they are wearing their seatbelt, if an accident happens and the airbag deploys an unbelted driver can suffer serious injuries.

4. Tell them they should not use cruise control when roads are wet, icy, or covered in snow.

5. Remind them that distracted drivers are the leading cause of accidents. Distraction is not limited to cell phone conservations or texting. Other distractions are equally dangerous and include drinking a soda or coffee, eating, putting on makeup or fixing hair, scrolling through playlists, and general horseplay.

6. Caution your teen that black ice occurs in temperatures as high as 40 degrees especially in windy weather. While bridges and underpasses are the places black ice is likely to appear – it can also occur at intersections that appear to be dry – black ice forms as exhaust from cars melt ice and snow and black ice forms afterward.

7. Tell your teen that bad weather means allowing extra time to get where he or she is going. Responsible driving means never speeding – especially when the weather is bad.

8. Teach your teen that if they ever find themselves skidding they must not panic, All they need do is steer into the skid to regain control of your car.

Winters are harsh in northern Illinois and there is a possibility that others are not as well prepared for winter driving as your family members. If they are a victim of another driver’s careless driving, get he or she checked out by a doctor and then contact an expert Chicagoland personal injury attorney.