Teaching Your Child To Drive: The Facts

It seems like only yesterday that your child was wheeling their toy cars across the carpet in your living room as you stumbled over the array of fire trucks, police cars, and the generic sports cars to change the channel on the TV. Fast forward a dozen or so years and your child is now ready for their own set of real life wheels. As a responsible parent, you want your child to be safe behind the wheel, but you also remember the first taste of driving freedom. How do you strike the perfect balance and ensure that the young driver in your home relishes their first days as a learner driver?

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The chances are that your darling son or daughter will be using your car, at least some of the time, to practice their skills on the road. Naturally, you want them to be safe. Make sure you are the teacher that you wanted to have when you were their age. Don’t try and be cool and whack on some urban music as you both cruise around the vicinity. Your child will not appreciate the humiliation. It’s time to take your role seriously as an instructor. Don’t stress out every time they put their foot on the accelerator instead of the brake. It’ll happen. Don’t scream at every bunny hop. There will be many. Relax into your role and advise as best you can. Encourage your child to take responsibility for the car from the very first time they sit in the driver’s seat. Teach your child some basic car maintenance such as checking tire pressures and the oil level to allow them to gain some useful lifelong skills.

The chances are that your child won’t have just you to instruct them. Employing a professional is vital to speed the learning up and to make sure they don’t pick up all of your bad habits. Your child has to gel with their instructor. Make sure your child enjoys their lessons and gets along with their teacher. Consider booking blocks of lessons in advance. This way you often get a discount or a couple of free sessions making it excellent value for money. The easiest way for you to contribute is to reinforce what your child has learned in their instructor sessions.

It’s important to clue yourself up on the law. If your child does have an accident while learning to drive it’s vital that you know your liabilities. A specialist auto accident lawyer can offer advice as to who may or may not be liable and talk you through your legal rights. When seeking out, potential instructors make sure that they are aware of the law and have solid references. After all, you are entrusting your child into their care.

Getting a license and venturing out onto the open road for the first time is daunting and exciting. By embarking on this journey with your child, you can make it an experience that your child will never forget for all the right reasons.