As you begin the process of teaching your teen driver, you should be aware of the basic rules for success.
Let your teen take the initiative. Not every teen is ready at 15 or 15 ½ or 16 to begin learning to drive. Once you feel that he or she is ready, express that feeling and then wait for your teen to approach you. Don't push the issue-an overly anxious teen driver can be a dangerous thing.
Plan ahead. When you start working behind the wheel, know ahead of time where you are going and what you are going to do. Let your teen know the area in which he or she will be driving and what skills you will be working on.
Setting a good example Children learn by imitating their parents -- from tying their shoes to cutting the grass. Youngsters also adopt parents' attitudes. The old adage to "Do as I say, not as I do" just doesn't work. If you talk to your teen about obeying the speed limit and then rely on your radar detector to keep from being caught, you're telling them it's okay to speed if you don't get caught. The same goes for rolling through stop signs and accelerating on a yellow light. Or refusing to yield the right of way to a car or pedestrian. And face it: you're never going to get kids to use seat belts if you don't buckle up! Attitude is as important as specific driving skills. Maybe you can beat the odds while you ignore good driving habits, but your son nor daughter has neither your experience or judgment. Ignoring the rules of safe driving is never acceptable behavior. Don't just pay lip service to good driving; set the example.
Avoid lecturing Avoid lecturing. Be alert to opportunities for discussion. Ask questions to stimulate self-discovery, and listen to his or her responses. Driver education courses focus on specific driving skills and knowledge, but they're no substitute for maturity and experience. You can give your young driver the benefit of both if you communicate and stay involved in the learning process
Start slow and build up. When you start out with your teens, go to an empty parking lot and spend a lot of time starting, stopping and turning. When they are comfortable there, then move on to a quiet residential area with fewer cars. Then move onto streets with heavier traffic. You need to help them develop confidence in the very basic skills before moving on.
Be constantly aware. One of the hardest things about driving safely is being aware of your surroundings. But for a new driver, that 360 degree awareness is not a skill which they have yet mastered. So you will need to be the one who watches on all four sides of the car.
Be careful with directions. Give your teens lots of notice when you want them to do something. For example, rather than saying "Turn left now," try anticipating and say, "We will be turning left in the next block." Also, only use the word "right" for a direction. When your teen does something well, tell them they did it "correctly."
Set realistic goals. I have found that the number of times we drive with our teens is more important than the amount of time in each session. At the beginning, limit your practice time to 15 to 20 minutes at a time. As your teen's confidence increases, you can extend practice times.
Start off in daylight and good weather. As your teen is developing their driving skills, try to focus on daytime driving and when road conditions are good.
