Teaching your child to drive might be one of the more nerve-wracking experiences of your life, but it’s something that most parents have gone or will go through. It’s also not all bad; not having to transport your teenager anywhere and everywhere they need to go can be a big weight off your shoulders! Here are a few steps to remember when teaching your children to drive.
1. Test Their Knowledge Before The Real Thing
Driving is one of life’s skills where theory and practice blend together. The practice cannot work without the theory and vice versa. Before the first drive, make sure your child knows the rules of the road. Go for a drive with the child in the passenger seat asking questions and testing their knowledge of road rules and what to do in certain situations.
2. Take Your Own Refresher Course
Chances are you have been driving for quite a while. But even though the rules of the road might come as second nature to you and you may have spent your driving years with a near perfect record, some of the little details might need to be retouched. Think about taking a quick refresher course so you can give your child the most recent information as you teach them.
3. Find An Open Space
Driving takes time and space. The first drive can be worrying for both you and your child. Find an open lot away from traffic to let nerves settle. An open space can take a bit of the pressure off a first time driver. Let your child feel at ease behind the wheel before driving in traffic. When they graduate from an open lot, continue building on the space idea by driving in more and more traffic as they gain confidence.
4. Remove Distractions
Distractions are what cause accidents. The media has been pushing forward the woes of texting and driving, and for good reason. Tell your child that nothing is as important as getting to the destination safely. Responding to a text can wait for later. Remember that a mobile phone is not the only cause for distraction in the car; remove anything and everything that can take away focus from the road.
5. Have An Action Plan For Bad Situations
Sometimes things go wrong on the road. From simple mistakes to larger accidents, it’s important that your child knows how to respond to different situations they could find themselves in. Create an action plan with your child for dealing with such things. This plan might include keeping a list of steps to take after an accident or having the number of a legal firm, such as GC Traffic Lawyers, saved in their phone.
6. Be Supportive
To first-time drivers, driving can be very stressful. Remember to be honest about the seriousness of driving while also being supportive and helpful. Do not increase the pressure by being too hard too soon. As your child gains in confidence, the stress will subside.
Driving is a rite of passage for every teenager, but teaching them to drive can be just as stressful for you too. Remember the basics and provide all of the information for your child to become a safe driver.
