Learning to Drive: A Guide for Parents

This popular booklet, LEARNING TO DRIVE: A Guide for Parents, was first published in 1986. This invaluable booklet has been distributed by school boards, driving schools, auto associations and even, in part, by CNN on its web site. The content of the booklet was drawn from the wisdom of dozens of professional driving instructors. It is an excellent guide to the pitfalls of driver instruction and the techniques that can make the parent co-driver's difficult role safe, satisfying and successful.

Copyright 2002 PDE Publications. This booklet is reprinted here with permission of www.drivers.com.

What's involved for you, the parent?

Getting a driver's license is often referred to as the modern equivalent of a ritual of passage to adulthood for the young, new driver-and it's certainly a dangerous one.

A wise parent will seek the help of reliable professionals in preparing the teen for the complex world of the automobile and traffic. It's not enough for today's teenagers to learn as their parents did. The driving world they enter is far too intense to tackle without serious preparation.

As a parent you are the one who cares most about your teenager's driving ability and safety. This booklet will help you participate in the process of educating your teenager behind the wheel. It will give you insights into the skills and knowledge that professional instructors accumulate over years of teaching. It will inform you about the pitfalls lying in wait for the amateur instructor during the early stages of learning, about the defensive strategies taught in modern driving courses, and about the need to follow up after licensing to ensure that your teen continues to develop defensive driving skills and safe habits.

On the road

If possible, leave your teen's first on-the-road experiences to the care of a professional. Many a nasty accident has occurred because an inexperienced beginner was allowed to get into a situation that was too much to cope with. A miscalculation in speed, a sudden change in traffic conditions, or an awkward combination of circumstances could lead to disaster. The professionals are used to anticipating such problems-and they have the advantage of dual controls. Your task as co-driver is to back up the work of the professionals with well-planned and coordinated practice sessions.

Preparing for the test

Learning to drive a car safely and efficiently in modern traffic involves much more than training to pass a government road test and get a license. However, this is a necessary first stage. Government driver examiners want to ensure that the new driver has adequate control over the vehicle, knows the rules of the road and the correct procedures for managing a vehicle in traffic, and can make safe decisions.

The professional instructor is skilled in teaching these basics. Your role as parent/co-driver is to reinforce what the instructor teaches and provide practice time. It will help enormously if you take the time to refresh your memory by reading through the "Driver's Handbook".