Teaching your child to drive – top ten tips

It’s always recommended to get a professional instructor to teach young people to drive but these days driving lessons are not only expensive but hard to come by – the increased demand means your instructor may not have the availability for regular lessons and practice with a parent is vital to build experience consistently and keep new driving skills fresh.

The Learner Driving Guide is a lifeline.

Parents can see what their child needs to learn not just to pass the manual or automatic driving test but to be a safe, confident driver for life. It may be a good while since a parent got their driving licence and things have changed – parents can be reassured that all the current DVSA syllabus is covered, in detail. You and your child can watch the video content before and after a practice session – preparing in advance and then reviewing progress afterwards. Save time and money on additional driving lessons, boost your child’s learning and keep their skills fresh while waiting for a driving test.

There are a lot of things to check before getting in the car with your child – the Learner Driving Guide covers everything you need to know on ‘L-plates’, insurance, age, licence etc. in Practice makes perfect: a guide to practicing your driving with family or friends.

Here are our top ten tips for helping your child practice their driving:

1. Choose simple, quiet routes that you know well and gradually build up to more challenging, busier road situations. You will need quieter roads to practice parking, for example.
2. At first, practice in the day time – as confidence grows driving in the dark or in different weather conditions can be explored, at a gentle pace.
3. Keep instructions/directions clear – don’t hesitate too much or change your mind at the last minute.
4. Give instructions in good time – no driver wants to feel rushed or pressured and your child will need time to process what they need to do; talk them through the steps. Watching the videos on the Learner Driving Guide will break this down for you, for all driving manoeuvres.
5. State the obvious – road signs, road markings, counting the exits on a roundabout – this is probably all second nature to you, but to a new learner driver, it’s a lot to take in. Repetition will help until they are familiar with everything on the road.
6. Praise your child – confidence is key to driving well.
7. Stay in control – you are legally responsible, tell your child to slow down if they are over the speed limit.
8. Enjoy the bonding time with your child – helping your child develop a life skill should be rewarding. If you are dreading each practice session, communicate with their driving instructor or book one if you haven’t already.
9. Whatever happens in the car, stays in the car – if a practice session hasn’t gone well, try to leave it behind when you go home. Be patient, mistakes will be made – it’s how we learn.
10. Above all, stay calm. Learning to drive is a real challenge and it’s easy for you or your child to get flustered or stressed. Take a breath and envisage that driving test pass certificate!