Tips On Teaching Your Teen to Drive

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If you are a parent that has experienced teaching your teenager how to drive, then you know how unbelievably stressful it can be. As a parent of two daughters that have reached the driving age, I will not deny that attempting to teach my teens to drive has been one of the most stressful parts of parenthood. 

In an effort to save money and since there are not any convenient driving schools near us I opted to teach my teens to drive. I will admit that I have no experience in this area of parenthood and I simply winged it. 

Since I know that there are a lot of parents that are similar to me I wanted to share what I have learned during this experience. 

Here are tips on teaching your teen to drive. 

• Student Driver Magnet– When I first started teaching my girls how to drive I was extremely anxious and worried about what other drivers were thinking. If a car drove behind my daughter I would put the emergency flashers on until they passed us. It didn’t take long for me to discover these Student Driver Magnets. They are perfect for letting other drivers know that the person behind the wheel will require patience and understanding from other drivers. Once I placed these on the back and side of my car my anxious feelings lessened dramatically. It also alerted other drivers to be cautious of my driver. These are inexpensive and a must! 
• Do Not Pressure Them– If your teen is not ready or does not feel like driving do not pressure them. If you pressure your teen to drive they will not be focused and that could lead to an accident in addition to unnecessary stress for you and them. 
• Observe– When your teen is a passenger have them put their phone away and observe you while you drive. While you drive make sure to talk to them about what you are doing and why. Teach them the roads that you are on, how the lanes work, what signs mean, and anything else that comes to mind. You cannot teach too much. It will not connect with them in one day but eventually will.  
• Seek Help– If you have the ability to ask friends and family to help you teach your teens to drive then you need to ask. In my opinion, teenagers should learn how to drive from multiple people and it could give you a well-deserved break. 
• Independent Learning– It is important that your teens do not only rely on you to teach them. It is important that they research on their own for tips and lessons on how to drive. There are a lot of learning videos on YouTube. 
• Baby Steps– When most teens learn to drive they start practicing in a parking lot. This is so they become comfortable with the car and how it works. Once they become comfortable behind the wheel, then determine which roads you feel comfortable with them practicing on. The more comfortable they begin to feel the more challenging roads they can begin to explore. 
• Feedback– After the lesson is over take the time to have a conversation with your teen about what they did good and what they need to improve on. It is very important that you remember to include positive affirmations. 

Teaching your teen to drive requires a lot of patience from not only you but the teenager that is learning. Learning to drive can be very stressful for your teen because there is a lot to learn and one mistake can create a disaster. 

Create a driving plan, and have a serious conversation with your teen about the seriousness of driving. In addition, ask for help and give your teen the confidence they need to not give up.