From fall into winter, it seems that thunderstorms pop up without much warning. If you have driven for several years, you have probably learned how to drive in thunderstorms. But do your teens know how? We'd like to give you some tips on teaching your teens to drive in thunderstorms. Teaching them to drive safely in thunderstorms helps reduce accidents and can keep your teen’s auto insurance premiums lower. 

1. Turn the radio down so you can hear what is happening around you. You will want to hear the horn of a car that is out of control or how close the thunder is. If your teen claims they can hear over the radio, then let him or her prove it. Have he or she sit in the car with the engine running and the radio as loud as desired. Then have a neighbor honk their car horn. If your teen does not hear the car horn, then you can discuss the importance of turning down the radio. 

2. After a storm, take your teen to an empty parking lot and show him or her how driving through puddles can change the steering on a car. Safely brake in a wet spot and demonstrate how wet roads require more distance to brake. 

3. Drive on a fairly empty road and show how on most roads, you can tell where the shoulder is by the change in sound. Let your teen practice pulling over to the shoulder of a road, trying to do it just by sound since during a thunderstorm, visibility might be near zero. 

4. Be sure and talk with your teen about what to do if all the traffic lights are out. He or she might have heard what to do in a driving training course, but there was a lot to learn and your teen may have forgotten since. 

Take some time this fall to prepare your teen for driving in thunderstorms. And don't forget to talk about not driving through standing water—you never know how deep it is. 

Equip your teen for the road. Call States Insurance Agency for more information on auto insurance.