Teaching Your Teenager to Drive Responsibly – A Short Guide
Learning to drive is practically a rite of passage for young adults in the UK, being representative of a new life of independence, trust and responsibility. But driving is a dangerous undertaking, and even so for old hands behind the wheel. Given the unfortunate commonality of road-related casualties in the UK, responsible driving is a hugely important value to instil in any new drivers. If your child is learning to drive, how can you help them become a safe and conscientious driver?
Setting the Foundation
Responsible driving is a simple enough subject, but an extremely broad one that touches on a wide variety of practices and habits behind the wheel. It can be difficult to know exactly where to start, so start with the basics.
Your teenager will already be receiving lessons from a formal driving instructor, but taking the time to share your own experiences of the road can help you find some common ground – and start to instil some basics regarding road safety. Creating a foundational understanding of just how important it is to drive safely is crucial to ongoing safety. Indeed, you might even get your teenager learner driver insurance in order to privately demonstrate some safety lessons with them.
Leading by Example
As your child continues to learn, you should be taking every opportunity to represent the values that you are promoting with respect to safe and responsible driving. Whenever you are driving and your teenager is in the passenger seat, you should be a paragon for safe driving; every turn should be indicated, slow starts and slow stops in traffic should be the norm, and no risky manoeuvres should be taken in the name of expediency. You are a role model in practically every other way, so do not be afraid to embody this behind the wheel too.
Communication is Key
Throughout this process, communication is key for ensuring your teenager is taking on the information you are sharing properly. There should be an element of transparency between you, from the content of your child’s driving lessons to their comfort on the road. If you see them starting to drift away from good habits, don’t be afraid to course-correct early.
Distracted Driving Awareness
Finally, one of the most common bad habits formed by younger drivers is that of distracted driving – an extremely dangerous habit to form, and one which can lead to serious incidents on the road. Distracted driving can arise from a number of different causes or stimuli, from fiddling with dashboard or phone settings to the simple act of holding a conversation.
In the former case, there are now laws prohibiting the use of a smartphone behind the wheel, even if stationary. These laws were designed precisely to crack down on distracted driving, and could be a great place to start in telling your youngster to drive mindfully.
*This is a collaborative post.
