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What to Do
at Home

Safe driving starts before anybody gets on the road. Here’s what to do when you’re at home.

Set road rules

Sit down together as a family and agree to put distractions of any kind away.

  • Cell phones
  • Eating/drinking
  • Applying makeup
  • Listening to loud
music
  • Styling hair
  • Daydreaming
  • Anger or aggression
  • Wearing headphones
or earbuds

Set yourself and your family up for success

Planning upfront makes a difference down the road.

  • Use an app that tracks safe driving habits and helps you and your family make safer decisions.
  • Put phones in driving mode to disable notifications, texts and/or calls when driving, biking or walking.
  • Give yourself enough time to get ready or eat before leaving.

Talk about distractions early and often

Call each other and yourselves out (in a good, loving kind of way). Make it OK for everyone to speak up using “I” statements.

Here are some examples:

  • “I’m sorry, I was combing my hair and driving at the same time. That was not OK. I won’t do it again because it puts you and me in danger.”
  • “Mommy, I love you. I don’t feel safe when you look at your phone and drive, bike
or walk.”

Practice focus and calm

When you’re not calm, you’re distracted. But there’s an easy fix: breathing. It’s true. How often do you catch yourself holding your breath? Are you holding your breath right now?

Meditation can help with that. And it can help you and your family stay focused and calm, too.

  • Start small. Even short sessions once a day can help you and your family enhance attention, memory and mood and manage emotions.4
  • Use an app with guided meditations to help
you practice.
  • Make meditating a group activity that you tack onto another one like family dinner or getting ready for bed.