So, your son or daughter tells you that they want to take their driver’s test and become a licensed driver. Are you ready for that all-important moment in life?
As many other parents can tell you, such a time in life can prove to be rather nerve-wracking to say the least.
With that being the case, what kind of contract will you draw up with your teen when he or she wants to learn how to drive?
Making Sure Your Teen Takes Driving Seriously
In teaching your teen to drive, make sure they understand the following:
- Responsibility – Being a driver means taking responsibility for your actions on the road. That said your teenager must do all they can to focus on the road ahead of them. This means making sure that they do not get distracted when behind the wheel. Remember, you likely get distracted at times when you are driving. As such, you know the dangers one can face out there on the roads. Relay to your teen they must make driving safety their top responsibility.
- Distractions – As part of responsibility, steering around distractions is something that is key. Distractions are phones, too engaged with friends, and use of a rear-view mirror to groom. Any such actions and others like them take your teen’s focus away from the road. As such, they put themselves and others in harm’s way. As a parent, set a good example for your teen when they are a passenger in your vehicle. This way, they will get the point that distractions are an accident waiting to happen.
- Accidents – If your teen is in an accident, their condition is the most important factor. From there, use the accident as a learning tool. What could your son or daughter have done different to avoid the accident? Did a distraction you had discussed before with them come into play? Last, will they have any hesitancy moving forward when it comes to driving once again? As upsetting as auto accidents can be, they can also serve to teach both teens and parents about driving. In doing so, both can learn from the experiences and be better drivers and more going forward.
In making your teen the safest driver he or she can be, you both win.
Although you may likely worry about their safety, you know that your teen is growing up right in front of your eyes. With that the case, you both come out ahead as winners.
Your teen has the new-found freedom of being out on the road.
With such freedom, they can now drive to school, a part-time job, appointments and more. This of course frees you up from having to be their chauffeur 24/7.
In the meantime, you rest a little easier knowing that you taught them well.
You can also be happy that they have taken what you said about responsibility in a serious manner. Yes, they actually do in fact listen to you.
Well, that is until they break curfew one evening.