Customer Reviews

Crash-Proof Your Kids: Make Your Teen a Safer, Smarter Driver

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Teaching one's teenager to drive is one of the most unnerving experiences a parent will go through. Fraught with conflict, fear and tension, it's no wonder so many of us pass-on this task to others. But one of these days you are going to have to get in the car with your teenager at the wheel. To prepare yourself for this frightening fact-of-life read Tim Smiths' thoughtful and informative "Crash-Proof Your Kids".His approach is organized, practical, concise and often humorous. Even your teenager won't mind reviewing this book. And believe me, when it comes to giving instruction on parallel parking or highway merging or parking lot safety it's reassuring to be able to refer to what the expert says on the subject. This kind of information allows the frazzled parent to impart useful tips before they're needed, and often without shouting! The information in this book was very helpful to me and my son as he approached his driver liscencing exam. I wish I had it 5 years ago when my daughter had me clinging to the dashboard and whispering profanity.

High school Drivers' Education courses are woefully inadequate to the serious task of training young, easily distractable people what to do in actual real-life road conditions. More teens are killed in car accidents due to simple driver error than due to drugs and alcohol combined. It's time for parents to step in and supplement their kids' education with much-needed skills. "Crash-proof your teens" will help you do that. Presented in a simple step-by-step method, this book will lead you through the difficult maze of helping your kids to be safe and fearless drivers. You may also come out of it a safer driver yourself.

(My 17-year-old daughter was killed in a car crash caused by simple driver error. The driver was also killed, as well as another teen in their car and a 9-year-old in the car they crashed into. I wish that this book would have been part of that young driver's training. Maybe all four girls would still be alive.)

It is clear that the author who is not pressured by corporate demands, who has the time to write about his subject and fine tune it with such passion makes a much more believable, compelling work. About the only thing that could be done to Crashproof your Kids to improve its overall impact is a set of diagrams or perhaps a few pictures that illustrate the author's points. But that gets back to my point about how well Mr. Smith writes. Every sentence informs, every chapter educates. No way your kid should be without this book before he or she ever turns the key. The best driving book or a solid drivers ed book include driving psychology that would constitute a driver's bible--all are related to driving philosophy and driving science, since many people really do not know as much about the nature of driving as they think.

Driving physics and psychology are a passion of mine because many motorists out there simply don't know what they are doing. Finally, someone has both the writing ability AND the driving skill to tell new drivers so much of what I wish I could. My problem is that, as a driver of 28+ years, I don't like speed limits. Mr. Smith has given me, a veteran driver and one who thought he knew everything about driving, dozens of reasons outlined in Crashproof Your Kids to slow down more often. Tim's expertise is clearly evident in the almost 300 pages of this excellent non-fiction work--way better than the mushy and drippy psycho-babble road rage books of the late 1990's. Tim, I want to party with you, brother. You really know your stuff. Who would ever think to make sure they don't mess with their cellphone while refueling or indulge in some other activity that builds up static electricity that could cause a fire? Tim did, and he wrote about it. Lots of pearls of driving wisdom that are more than homespun advice.

Of particular interest to the new driver is Section Four (aptly named 'Fourth Gear', where each section is a 'Gear'), 'Reducing Risky Behavior' where the author gets into very detailed, useful tips about losses of control, spins, slides and plows (the front end doesn't respond). It would be difficult to finish this book in under a week because it is so well written (much better written than the dozens of books I've researched). Even though the author and I share the same passion about teaching kids how to drive, I admire Mr. Smith's ability to explain his instructions clearly, without bias and with authority (he has three kids himself). We're not about making money. We're about making sure that the new driver does not turn into the guy I used to be out there--the one running the red lights, whipping past you at 80 MPH while you wondered what my problem was. I'm all about confession of personal mistakes and avoiding hypocrisy. Tim Smith, your author, is all about making sure you never GET to the point of having to confess of a mistake--and, as it turns out, to not be the hypocrite who points a finger at every other driver and says, He has no right to be behind the wheel!

From the Chief Highliner. Well done, Tim! May I just say that the book I wrote would make an excellent companion to this book (see Highliner: The Nature, Philosophy and Science of Automobile Driving). Between Tim's book and mine, we should be able to realize a noticeable reduction in negative driving and road rage, in addition to reckless driving and unacceptably high number of traffic fatalities and traffic injuries caused by inattentive or distracted driving, resulting in property losses and loss of life caused by unqualified drivers or bad drivers. Highliner and Crashproof your Kids together are indispensable and powerful tools against driving ignorance and driving apathy behind the wheel, especially for teenage drivers or teenagers in general. Driving without fear and smart driving all contribute to safe driving. Now it's time to make a difference. The perfect driver's ed book or just a solid driver's education book are just a click away.

Divided into four "gears" and 32 chapters, this book is a must have for serious instructors and should be required reading for ALL parents!
Easy reading with many tips - "females have a statistically greater crash involvement at intersections, so pay particular attention to this area with girls turning left across traffic." Charts, including braking distance and new auto purchase recommendations also included. I keep this paperback in my door pocket and refer to it often as a professional driving instructor.

Tim's book is an excellent book written with the express view of keeping your child alive for longer. Remember, driving is the most common reason for under 25 year old deaths.
I strongly recommend that you and your young adult read this book. It is one of the best I have read on the subject. Reading it will make the difference!

my daughter and i are still going thru this book, but so far, this book seems to give very good solid advice. a lot of common sense, but i think that's something all drivers need a bit more of these days. i would definately recommend this book to not only new drivers, but to anyone that would like to brush up on skills.

This book gives good detail and suggestions on ways to keep your young drivers safe. This is similar to the way I was taught to drive, and will be my guide for my children. It even helped improve my driving as a model for the young driver. Some of the sayings the author states are now spoken by my youngest as fact. The lessons are grouped into areas that seem to take best advantage of a young driver's intrest and need to know more.

Anybody who has or will have the responsibility of teaching their own, or other new drivers to drive should be required to read this book. It is excelLent on the subject of teaching a person or persons to drive, it rates right up there with, "Safe Young Drivers," by Barardelli that I reviewd in the past.
The only improvement that I can reccoment is that it should be in a quality binding on quality paper, vs. soft paper binding on 'newsprint,' that many are allergic/sensitive to. I would like a "library quality," edition for my professional library.

Certified/Licensed Driving Instructor,
Carol

I have been using the recommendations and following the prescribed practice tasks while teaching my son to drive. He is responding very positively, and seems to really appreciate the fact that I care enough to be reading the book and following the course with him. The book has me thinking of things to talk about with him that I would not have thought about on my own. So many things about driving we just take for granted after all these years, but the book reminds us that these little things must be learned and gives us recommendations as to how to introduce them. My mother gave me the keys to the car and I drove home from getting my permit. How scarey is that? That's just not an option today, and this book outlines a complete course of practice that will definately help me to help my son be a better driver. I am very pleased with it.

This well-organized and well-presented book can be a godsend to parents facng the daunting task of helping their kids learn to survive while driving. Written with clever humor, common sense, and uncommon understanding of how to really develop driving skills, this book helps parents and kids avoid the conflicts usually found in parent-teen "instruction" by making the parents and teen become team members in accomplishing the many excellent driving exercises offered. For that reason alone, it's worth far more than the purchase price!