Peer
Pressure

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As a teen, you have a lot of decisions to make. You’re figuring out the things that are important to you. Who you are. How you spend your time. And with whom you spend it. Those decisions aren’t always easy. And they can be even harder when other people are pressuring you to see things their way. Some of those decisions you make will be about driving. Here are some tips for handling people who want you to make not-so-smart ones.

Mentally rehearse

Think about difficult situations in advance. If you are late for a movie and a friend calls to tell you to hurry up, you have a decision to make. Will you speed? If you do, you could get a ticket or get into an accident. What if someone asks you to drink and drive? The right answer is no. What if someone asks you to break a rule that you and your parents have agreed upon? If you do, you could lose your driving freedom.

When you get caught up in the moment, sometimes you can make the wrong decisions. By mentally rehearsing, you can plan out your response ahead of time, so you can make smarter driving decisions.

Use your parents as the excuse

Sometimes when people pressure you to do things you don’t want to do, it can be hard to say no. Especially if the rest of the crowd is going along. The best thing to do is to try to be yourself and stand your ground. But that isn’t always easy. One thing you can do is to talk to your parents about using them as the excuse. Sometimes it can be easier to save face by telling other teens, "My parents won’t let me." Or, "If my parents find out, I won’t be allowed to drive." Make sure you discuss this in advance with your parents to see if they are comfortable being your excuse.

Talk to other friends you can trust

If peer pressure is bothering you, chances are it’s bothering some of your friends, too. Talk to a friend you trust. They may have some great advice – and you may have some for them, too. Help them to understand the situations that are difficult for you, and then ask them to support you if they see you having trouble. And offer the same help and support to them.

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