As a parent, it can be daunting when your teenager starts learning to drive. You want to make sure they become safe and responsible drivers, especially since it’s important to develop safe driving habits when first learning. Here we provide some tips on road safety and safe driving for teens from several experts on teens and driver training, which you can share with your child to have a positive impact on their driving habits.

Lead by Example – Oracle Psychology

Oracle Psychology specialises in the psychology of children, teenagers and young adults in the Newcastle, Hunter and Central Coast regions of NSW. Their highly-experienced registered Child and Adolescent Psychologists work closely with young people, their families and communities to ensure continued safety and wellbeing.

Tips for parents

Firstly, it’s important to lead by example. Your child can learn a lot from observing and experiencing your behaviour on the road. It’s essential to demonstrate good road safety by showing your child that you are calm and in control at all times. You can also reinforce the importance of safety in a practical setting, by starting discussions about the things you look out for when driving.

It’s also important to praise and encourage your child. Take the time while they are learning to praise their driving successes and to be encouraging about their growing up and taking on more responsibility by learning to drive.

Tips for teens

When you’re driving, imagine that everyone else on the road is someone you really care for. This will make you drive in a way that keeps everyone safe – the reality is that everyone on the road is someone’s mother, father, brother, sister or child.

You should also make sure you plan ahead if you’re socialising with friends. If you end up drinking, don’t ever be tempted to drive. Instead, arrange to stay with a friend or organise a safe way to get home by catching public transport, a taxi or have someone else, who has not been drinking, pick you up.

Stay Informed – Streetwise Driver Training

Established on the Gold Coast nine years ago, Streetwise Driver Training is a family-owned business. They offer manual and automatic driving lessons at all stages of learning, as well as running a Magistrate-approved Traffic Offender Program. All students, whether new or rehabilitated drivers, learn key competencies to help develop safe driving behaviours.

Tips for parents

Parents need to stay informed about current road rules and correct driving habits, as things might have changed since you learnt to drive. Many parents pass on incorrect and outdated information to their children, which causes a cycle of misinformed road users with bad driving habits.

If you’re supervising your learner, you need to plan ahead. Planning an appropriate route in advance will cause less stress for all involved. Start with small steps like driving in quiet roads or car parks, and only increase the complexity of the route when your learner has gained more confidence and skills. They should always be able to handle each driving task before moving onto something new. The most important elements to start with are a correct take off, stopping and steering, shoulder checks, indication and speed control at low speeds.

Tips for teens

Observation is the absolute foundation of good driving. Understand how to check your ‘blind spots’ and always be aware of what is in front and behind you on the road. Driving involves a lot of multitasking, which can be difficult at first. Try to keep your posture upright and be aware of what is 100 meters ahead, as well as what’s directly in front of you. You’ll also need to glance at the speedometer to check your speed. Practising all these habits will ensure good observation in the future.

Quality Instruction and Improvement Ability – Learn to Drive Driving School

Learn to Drive Driving School specialises in preparing students for a lifetime of safe driving. From their locations in Penrith, Richmond and Springwood, they offer the exclusive Better Way training program which enables the instructors to tailor lessons to the individual needs and experience of the learner.

Tips for parents

Find a quality driving school with professional instructors to teach your children to drive. A good driving school will have highly-qualified instructors, preferably with additional experience such as being coaches or facilitators for the RMS Safer Drivers Course. They should also ideally provide written evaluations and progress reports, so that you and your child know exactly what needs to be worked on.

Tips for teens

Driving is something you continue to learn for the rest of your life – it doesn’t stop when you get your licence. You should always be working to improve your ability as a driver. The more you practice, the better you become. Use your time as a learner to develop good habits by practising low-risk driving techniques and correct driving skills, which will set you up as a better driver in the future.

Keeping Teens Safe – Prestige Driving School

Based in Sydney, Prestige Driving School is an award-winning driving school, providing tailored lessons to learner drivers at every stage. Instructors are highly experienced, and the focus is not just on the driving test, but also on helping learners to become safer drivers for life.

Tips for parents

Just as with all types of education and training, it’s important that your child’s experience isn’t compromised for the sake of saving money. Ensure your teen takes some lessons with a professional driving instructor to prevent any bad habits from developing, which they may have unconsciously picked up from you.

Along with quality driver education, the car you let them drive is very important. Having safe cars for teens to drive is absolutely essential. Many new P-platers are on the road in old bangers as their parents have decided it’s the best option because they’ll probably scratch it while parking! This is actually an extremely poor decision – newer cars are loaded with safety features that can save young lives on the road.

Tips for teens

Always give yourself as much time as possible while on the road to plan ahead – you should always be one step ahead of yourself. Instead of thinking about what you’re doing now, you should be thinking about what you’re about to do next. Making sure you look far ahead of you can help with this, as it gives you time to analyse the road conditions and react safely to any situation. Decision making is an extremely important part of safe driving. By giving yourself more time to make those decisions, your plans will be better and your execution of these plans will also be safer.

Be Prepared and Stay Focussed – CarHistory

Buying a used car is often the most affordable way to purchase a car, but it can be a confusing decision to make. CarHistory offers the most comprehensive historical information on vehicles for used car buyers to access, combining data from industry and Government databases. Enter the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) or registration number and you’ll receive a report on the car’s history, including general vehicle details and even if the car has been written off or stolen.

Tips for parents

If you’re purchasing a car for your child, it can be a difficult and emotional decision. While your teen might have their ideal car in mind, you need to check that it will be safe, easy to drive, economical and a reliable choice. Take it for a test drive to ensure it’s mechanically sound and to give you confidence that it’s the right car for your child. Once they’re behind the wheel, expose them to a wide-variety of driving conditions, including peak hour traffic, wet weather and night driving. Also, consider a defensive driving course to gain experience in high-pressure situations, such as when they have to brake suddenly.

Tips for teens

While it’s exciting when you’re looking to get your P’s, the risk of crashing as a new P plate driver increases during this time. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to deal with distractions, including having friends in the car. Keep focussed and limit your distractions to stay safe on the road. It’s also essential to plan ahead, like how long your drive will take, whether you have enough petrol, if it’s raining, peak hour traffic, and if school zones or even clearways enforced during this time – this will help you prepare for situations that may occur.

Don’t forget!

You’re bound to worry about your teen learning to drive, but it doesn’t have to be stressful for you or your child. By following these tips for yourself and sharing with your child these important driving tips for teens, this rite of passage can be a positive and enjoyable experience for both of you. You can then feel confident that you have ensured that your teen is well-prepared for safer driving. For information on safer teen driving you can find more tips here.