Supporting your youngster through the process of learning to drive from the very first lesson to passing their test and letting them take to the road for the first time - perhaps in your car! Is a crucial and important part of the whole learning to drive process. Your youngster is going to need as much help, support and guidance as you can give them.
But you have some worries! What are the things that you can you do that will encourage and support your youngster to become not just a good driver but a really excellent driver?
We all want the best for our children, supporting and providing a teenager the means and motivation to learn to drive can be a great step in their personal development. But there are some worries parents have.
With today's young driver accident statistics being as bad as they are, quite correctly parents will have a few concerns, worries or fears about their own teenager being out on their own. Typically parents worry about:
- Will They Be Safe? Will my child have the skills to deal with today's complicated traffic conditions in a way that will always keep them safe?
- Will they maintain a good driver attitude? When I am not with them how will they be with their friends in the car? Will they have the coping strategies to resist peer pressure that might result in high risk or even dangerous driving behavior?
- Can I Trust them? Can I trust my child in a car on their own? Can I trust them to always do the right thing - drive safely. Can I trust them make the right decisions that will keep them and others in the car safe?
- How will they stay safe with little experience? If only I could give them my experience from day one. If their lack of experience puts them at a greater risk how will they cope with things once they pass? There are some crazy people out there that I see every day. How will my child be able to identify and deal with the poor, stupid or aggressive driving of others?
All these are very valid and understandably strong concerns that every parent has when their teenage son or daughter takes to the road.
Things are changing
Modern Driver training over the last few years in addition to raising standards elsewhere is now better addressing young driver safety. With the development of new teaching techniques, the newer breed of instructors (I put myself in this category) are NOT teaching people how to pass a driving test. To be honest with the time and patience parents could do that. But parents might not be the best to do it. Why?
The instructors with a real passion for the safety of young drivers are teaching much, much more than how to get a test pass certificate. They are teaching high personal standards of driving safely - 'Safe driving for life' and changing hearts and minds on the way. A subtle difference but with a massive impact on how driver training is now conducted and delivered.
Modern coaching techniques are moving the responsibility for learning to the learner. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their decision making and their actions. They are not being told what they should do, they are being coached into making the right decisions themselves. Supported by an attitude to driver safety and a belief system that will help them police themselves out in the real world.
Instructor/Coaches are challenging poor attitudes and beliefs a pupil may already have learnt from friends or even family just by sitting in the passenger seat. They know that behaviour only changes when a persons beliefs change. If someone believes they won't get caught speeding they will probably speed. If a young person mistakenly overestimates their driving abilities because they 'believe' they can handle the car like an expert driver, the risk of a serious accident at some point is much higher.
Helping a young driver change their attitude, thoughts and beliefs is helping them replace risky behaviours with safe driving practices and the coping strategies for dealing with peer pressure. If you belief something to be correct then you are less likely to do anything other than the correct thing. Instructors/Coaches like myself are working as much now on changing behaviours as they are on how to move the car from A to B.
Why don't more parents teach their kids to drive?
Why don't more parents teach their children to drive? Why do parents put their teenage children with driving instructors? Well I would say 80% of the time it's for these reasons...
- They believe that they will have a better chance of passing the driving test if they learn with an instructor.
- They don't want their children picking up any of their bad habits. (Which might cause them to FAIL a driving test)
- They don't feel that they have the ability to teach them.
- They don't feel that they have the patience to teach them.
- There would be too many arguments. Frustrations, yelling and shouting.
- They want them to pass quickly
So, as a parent myself, if I were looking for a driving instructor for my teenager and knowing what I know now. What would I be looking for and what would be my reasons for choosing the modern breed of driving instructor?
Well in my opinion there is only one reason....
"I would like my child learning with someone that will give them the skills they are going to need to drive safely at all times. Give them the coping strategies to deal with peer pressure from friends, a safe driving attitude, ability to critique and self police how they are driving to keep them and others safe on the road at all times of the day or night."
Actually, it should not be about telling a pupil to 'do this' or 'do that' because 'that's how you are going to pass your driving test'. That would be teaching someone for the wrong reasons. Teaching a young driver for me is about addressing all the worries listed above that parents have. Yes, they will be safe, yes I can trust them to make the right decisions - because I know they have the right attitude. And yes I am happy to let them drive my car around with my other children in the back. Teaching a young driver the personal behavioral skills and practical skills to a high standard will keep them on the road driving safely. Teach them 'Safe Driving For Life' will keep them and others safer. I don't teach anyone to pass a driving test, but most of them do on the first try.
Would you like your youngster taught by an Instructor with a passion for young driver safety and safe driving for life?
Why pupils choose us: By bringing the total cost of learning down with modern high quality driver training, we help pupils of all ages every day to pass their driving test FIRST TIME! We teach in Coventry, Nuneaton, Hinckley, Bedworth and all surrounding areas.
My contact phone number is below. Call me or email me your questions by clinking here.
Drive safe, keep safe.
Ray Seagrave ADI
DSA ADI Car, DSA Fleet Trainer, IAM Advanced Driver, RoSpa GOLD Advanced Driver, DIA member, MSA member,
Complete Driver Training
‘Teaching with a Passion for Success’