Tips on Teaching Teens to Drive

Remember When You Learned to Drive

• For parents, it can be very easy to forget what it feels like to be a kid who is at the mercy of her parents for all of her privileges. Yet, maintaining some level of empathy is crucial in teaching our children new skills, especially driving. Think back to your own experiences of learning to drive. Write down what you liked or did not like about what your parents did or did not do. Try to avoid making the same pitfalls your parents made by being mindful of those mistakes.

Encourage Book Knowledge First

• Before you get behind the wheel with your child, send him to a driver's education class through the public school system or a private driving school. While in driver's education, your teen will become familiar with the rules of the road in your state and will get a chance to practice behind the wheel with a more objective third party instructor. The instructor will not teach your child everything he needs to know in order to be a good driver, but they will help him gain a basic understanding of a few fundamentals.

Communicate

• Before riding in the car with your teen, talk with her about what it was like when you learned to drive. Share what you did and did not like about the process. Talk about what your concerns are for her, as well as what you are excited about. Encourage her to talk about how she is feeling about learning to drive, including any concerns she might have about driving with you as a passenger and instructor.

Set Ground Rules

• Set ground rules for behavior, both for you and for your teen. For instance, if your teen is worried that you will yell, one ground rule might be 'no yelling.' If you are worried that your teen won't listen, another ground rule might be, simply, listening. If saying "stop" will cause your teen to slam on the brakes, perhaps you might agree to say "up there at that tree, come to a slow stop," instead. Whatever the rules, make sure that you both agree to them and are comfortable with them.

Give It a Whirl

• With much of the communication and groundwork laid, go for your first drive with your teen. Choose a non-threatening area such as an empty parking lot. This will help put your teen at ease and minimize the number of things he has to concentrate on at one time. Remember to breathe and stay calm when your teen makes mistakes. Freaking out will not make it any easier for him to concentrate on his driving. After your first session, sit down and talk about how it went. Make adjustments if anything made either of you uncomfortable.

Practice, Practice, Practice

• Conduct regular practice sessions with your teen, allowing him to drive in more advanced settings as his skills improve. Take your time in teaching, allowing him to integrate what he is learning. This will take much of the stress off both of you.

Schedule the Driver's Test

• Accompany your teen when she goes to take the driver's test. Make sure she is well prepared before scheduling the test. Setting your teen up for success will help to ensure that she is well prepared to ace the exam and become a licensed driver.

Teaching Doesn't Stop There

• Over the next few years, your teen will have questions from time to time about driving situations. Make yourself available to answer these questions and help in any way that you can. Remember to set and enforce limits on driving. For instance, choose to limit the number of passengers allowed in the car or the hours your teen can drive. Setting these limits will help ensure that your teen is as safe as possible during the first few years he is driving.