Teaching your teen to drive

Posted 16 November, 2017 Lauren Ferrone

The thought of your teen behind the wheel is probably more nerve-racking for you than them, but learning the ropes together might make it less scary.

Start by being aware of how you drive – do you stick to the speed limit or are you impatient with other road-users?

Your child has likely picked up habits – good and bad – simply by watching you drive.

Next time you’re driving with them in the passenger seat, talk through valuable lessons you’ve learnt during your own time on the road, like how to detect road hazards early and keep a safe distance from other cars.

It’s important to teach even the most basic driving tips, like these, early on. Most people are unaware that new drivers’ crash risk jumps dramatically as soon as they move from L to P plates.

That’s why learner drivers, especially younger ones, are encouraged to have professional driving lessons – so they can develop road-safety knowledge and safe behaviours.

Once they’ve got their L plates, the best way to start is by taking a free, one-hour driving lesson with an accredited instructor through keys2drive.

This is a program funded by the Commonwealth Government where an accredited driving instructor will give you and your teen a thorough rundown on road safety and other vital skills.

Best of all, rather than wave them goodbye and good luck, you actually sit in on the lesson too. You’ll learn skills on how to be a confident teacher, as well as advice on how to coach your teen to be a safe driver.

Although the keys2drive class isn’t designed to replace regular driving classes, it’s a great way to start the learning journey with your teen and give them a good foundation for becoming a safe driver.