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Tips from Parents with Experience in Teaching Teens to Drive

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Despite the seriousness of the responsibility you and your teen have for ensuring she is a safe driver, this really can be a fun experience for you both. The following tips from other parents of teens may help to ensure this is an enjoyable process all around.

• Let your teen initiate the beginning stages of getting her learner's permit and learning to drive. Some teens are very eager to start driving, while others feel nervous and intimidated. Let her bring it up at first, so that she can be sure she really feels ready when she starts learning.
• Offer constructive criticism of specific problems, rather than making blanket statements. For example, "You should check your mirrors a little more often," rather than, "You are being careless."
• Don't listen to music, eat, sleep, or talk on the cell phone in the car until your teenager has been driving for quite a while. Remember that new drivers are extremely easily distracted, even if they seem to have mastered the mechanics of driving quite well.
• Don't forget to teach your teen other skills important for driving, such as how to get gas, what to do if someone backs into her in a parking lot, what to do if a tire goes flat, etc.
• Ask questions rather than making statements where possible. For example, "Do you see that biker up ahead?" or "What is the speed limit on this road?" (And "Are you crazy!?" doesn't count as a question!)
• If your child will drive a different car than the one she is learning in, take the differences into account. Give her practice in the other car as frequently as possible. If that car has different brakes, rear-wheel drive as opposed to front-wheel drive, or is a different height, make sure she can deal confidently with those differences before she sets out in the car on her own.
• Praise your child freely for everything she does well. And let her know that you enjoy spending this time with her and helping her to develop a new skill -- even though it has its nerve-wracking moments at times!

Resources:

http://life.familyeducation.com/teen-driving/32797.html

www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/pdf/teenhan1.pdf

http://fatherhood.about.com/od/dadsandteens/a/teach_driving_4.htm

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