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It’s a rite of passage for all parents, the dreaded driving lessons. This could be otherwise titled, ‘Teach your
teen to drive without risk of physical injury to tutor or student’ or ‘Teach your teen to drive and maintain
your sanity.’
Does it have to be this way? Of course not, you and your teen both want the same end result – a passed
driving test (and an end to driving lessons once and for all!) and with a bit of deep breathing, patience and
a positive attitude it can be accomplished.
Strike a deal. Before you begin on this exciting journey to teen independence, take the time to sit together
and have a frank discussion about how many lessons you are prepared to give per week and how long each
will last. Frustration and arguments can start early in with your teen begging to be taken out as soon as you
walk through the door from a stressful day at work. Explain up front days or times of day that are not good
for you and listen to your teen to establish and manage their expectations.
Safety first. Your teenager needs to show that they understand road safety before you take them out. Get
a copy of the driver’s handbook and give it to your teen for them to study, they will need this knowledge to
pass their theory test anyway. Spend some time with your teen in your car ensuring they are familiar with
the basic functions, adjusting steering height, indictor location etc.
Find a space. When you are both ready to start driving, find a nice open space to practice basic
manoeuvres in, an empty car parking lot is ideal. Give you teen some time driving slowly around to allow
them to get familiar with braking, steering and stopping.
Move on. As your teen grows in ability and confidence don’t just stick to quiet side streets. Big congested
roads are a fact of driving and your teen will need plenty of practice with them to overcome their nerves
when faced with a stressful driving situation. Go through some theory situations before you set off so they
won’t come as a surprise.
Keep your cool. It sounds obvious but losing your temper, grabbing the wheel or shouting will only make
your teen a more nervous driver. You were a learner once too! If you are finding it too stressful and are
afraid you will react, ask another adult to step in for a few lessons to give you a break.
Make sure you have it covered. You will need to insure your learner teen on your car, or whatever vehicle
they are using for lessons. Learner drivers don’t usually hike the policy premium too much as they are
always with an experienced driver, but get some quotes from online insurers like Budget Direct Quotes.
When they’ve passed their test and it becomes time to start shopping around for their first car, smaller
cars that has a smaller engine, such as a Fiat 500, will help to keep the cost of their insurance down than if
they were to choose a larger, souped-up car!
Be a good example. You have been teaching your teen to drive unaware every time you have taken them
out in the car. Make sure you set a good example. Describe what you are doing or thinking when you
are driving – point things out like ‘that driver keeps changing lanes, I’m going to be aware of them doing
something erratic’ or ‘we’re in an area I’m unfamiliar with, I’m going to stick to the lowest speed limit until
I can see what the limit is’.
Definitely some good tips! 😉
practice and patience