It’s only a matter of time, but once your child reaches the legal age, they will begin to pester for driving lessons. It may be your worst nightmare, as figures show that younger drivers have the most accidents compared to mature drivers- one in five will have an accident within six months of passing their test.
Parenting on Female First
Having a better understanding and providing your child with the correct knowledge, will help towards your teens driving skills and ensure that they are safe.
Young Driver provides driving lessons for 11-17 year olds, as it believes that learning over a longer period of time helps youngsters become safer drivers. We asked Young Driver team manager and qualified driving instructor Carmine Mastrogiacomo, who works from the scheme’s Brent Cross venue, for his top tips for teens who may be about to take to the road for the first time.
Take your time
It takes time to learn how to expertly control a car and to make safe decisions on the road. You'll need time to absorb all the information you’re given and put your new found knowledge into practice. Avoid intensive driving courses that try to cram everything into a week or two. Instead, arrange to have one or two lessons a week, lasting between 60 minutes and 90 minutes each, and preferably don’t have them on consecutive days. This keeps your learning consistent and gives you frequent opportunities to reinforce your new skills.
Private Practice
Having a family member or friend who can take you out for private practice in between your lessons is great! It's important that the person supervising the learner is generally patient and calm. Private practice is great for practicing any subjects that you have covered on your previous driving lesson i.e. roundabouts or parking. Don't try to cover new subjects or different types of road conditions until you have practiced them with your instructor first, as they should give you the foundations of the subject to build upon. Structured private practice will help speed up the learning process and help you get miles and experience under your belt. Remember, anyone that supervises a learner must be 21 or over and have held a full EC/EEA driving licence for three years or more. The car should also be insured for the learner to drive.
Drive Defensively
With so many cars on the road, it's important that you keep yourself, your passengers and your car safe! Driving defensively means dealing with hazards early and in good time to avoid sudden changes of direction or speed. By driving defensively your journey will be a lot smoother, safer and stress free! Your driving instructor will teach you defensive driving techniques from lesson one.
Learn to drive from a younger age
Obviously, you must hold a provisional driving licence and be 17 to start your on-road lessons but Young Driver gives you the opportunity to start learning at a younger age. By starting your lessons earlier, you gain valuable driving experience in a controlled environment and with a qualified driving instructor. Statistics show children that start their lessons at a younger age, spreading their learning out over a number of years, are less likely to be involved in an accident. Also by learning to drive at a younger age, there's more emphasis on learning the core skills of driving rather than on passing a driving test!
Young Driver centres help you develop expert car control skills. This makes your first on-road lesson a breeze knowing that you can easily move off, stop, steer and change gear. This also helps with learning to deal with other traffic and road users and generally helps with your confidence as a driver.
Peer pressure
It's important to remember that when you have a car full of friends you may feel the urge to drive differently. Pressure from your peers can cause you to drive more aggressively or competitively. Whenever you get behind a wheel of a car, remember YOU ARE IN CONTROL. It's vital that you assert yourself in situations like this. Ask your friends to respect that you're new to driving and need your full concentration to focus on the road. Most good friends will understand, and will probably feel the same way. How would you feel if you were involved in an accident and one of your close friends was seriously injured? By keeping in control you're reducing the risk of getting into that situation.
Don’t pick up bad habits
Did you know that 70% of drivers would fail their driving test if they had to retake it? It's very easy to pick up bad habits from parents and friends. Your parents may have been driving for many years and have lots of experience but that could also lead to many years of developing bad habits! Let’s face it, once you pass your driving test, you no longer have someone sitting next to you pointing out your faults. Focus on consolidating and developing the driving style that your instructor teaches you. This will help reduce the risk of you being involved in an accident and keep you generally safe on the road.
For more information visit: www.youngdriver.eu