Has your teen stolen the family car before?

As they approach mid teens, many teenagers become fascinated by cars. For many girls, a car is the status symbol of an older boyfriend, someone who can take you out to places you cannot get to normally, something to show off about to friends. Boys are usually more interested in what is going on under the hood, the horsepower, the engine, the whole mechanical messiness of it all.

Cars are such an integral part of American life that the transition from riding the school bus to driving to college in your own car is a rite of passage for many teenagers. The first time a teenager has an experience of riding in a car driven fast is a thrill, even if scary, like going on a rollercoaster.

Many psychologists would argue that today's teenagers are so protected by a society terrified of pedophiles and gang warfare that they take no risks as they grow up. Human nature needs a certain amount of risky behavior to feel truly alive and many teenagers moan constantly that they are bored. It is hardly surprising then, that teenagers will occasionally break free from the protective arms of their parents and behave in a risky fashion. Part of the thrill is doing something that parents are not aware of, and in the company of other teenagers, shared risk is a form of bonding.

Joyriding appeals on several levels; there is, the thrill of breaking the law, the possibility of being caught; the thrill of speed itself, and the getting away with it at the end. The police have discovered that banning joy riders from driving, fining them, even prison sentences has little or no impact on hard core offenders. What is more effective is teaching them to drive safely, but on racing tracks so they can experience speed and educating them in stark gruesome fashion about the consequences of high speed car crashes.

You can help prevent your teenager from becoming a joy rider by educating them about driving and the risks of speeding. Take them racing but also show them those horrendous car crash videos, or get them to attend classes run by victims of car crashes. Allow your teenager to experience risk in their life, adventure courses, rafting, climbing, something that gets the adrenaline going. Protecting our children is a natural instinct but they need to learn about danger, albeit in a controlled environment, or they may just become the victim of a fatal loss of control.