Research shows that the average learner driver will need 40-50 hours of tuition before he or she is ready to pass the practical driving test. This can be prohibitively expensive. Add in the cost of insurance, licences and tests and you’re looking at potentially thousands of pounds.
However, by taking on some of the responsibility yourself and going out with your child to practice driving between lessons, you can help cut down on the number of lessons he or she needs. In the case of driving, experience is invaluable. The more time your child spends behind the wheel, the more confident they will feel and the better they will be able to cope with hazards and with other road users.
Before you start
Refamiliarize yourself with the Highway Code. After years of experience, you probably don’t think about it much anymore, and you don’t want your child picking up your bad habits.
Make sure you are eligible to take a learner driver out on the road. You should be over 21 and have held a full UK, NI and EC/EEA driver’s licence for a minimum of 3 years.
Check that you are covered, insurance-wise. Ask your insurer if you can add a young driver to your policy. Be aware though, this can be very, very expensive.
Make sure that your vehicle is roadworthy and well-maintained.
Put yourself in your child’s shoes
Driving is very complex. If you’ve been driving for many years, the chances are that it’s second nature to you, and you don’t think about the actual processes involved. Remember what it was like when you first got behind the wheel of a car? Think back – that’s how your son or daughter is feeling now. Not only have they got to think about all the different gears and pedals – to say nothing of steering! – but they also have to watch out for other road users. And there’s no knowing what they might do…
Where to go
Choose a time and a route where the traffic is likely to be low, at least at first. When I was learning to drive, my mum took me to an industrial estate near our house. Out of hours, this was the perfect place topractice driving. Plenty of empty car parks to practice parking and manoeuvres, lots of junctions and quiet roads to practice gear changes and clutch control, and just enough traffic to keep me on my toes.
When to go
You might find it difficult to schedule time for practice, you’re busy and tired after work, or your child is out with friends or has too much homework. To get around this, schedule practice sessions into your normal routine. Pick your child up from school but let him or her drive home, for example.
Alternatively, you could bargain. You take your child out for practice, say twice a week, and in return he or she does the washing up or mows the lawn.
Or you could enlist the help of friends or relatives. If you have an older child with enough driving experience, maybe he or she could help out.
At first, you should practice when the weather is good, but as time goes on, you should think about going out when the weather is not so good. This might sound scary, but how much scarier is it to think that your child could be facing snow or rain alone? It’s much better that the first time he or she encounters bad weather is when you are in the car to offer help and advice.
Some other tips for supervising your child’s driving
No matter how anxious you may be, try not to shout if your child does something wrong. It’ll just frighten them and make them even more nervous and likely to make a mistake. It can also create tension between you, which is the last thing you want in an already stressful situation.
By the same token, you should resist the urge to be too critical. Remember, learning to drive is terrifying and overwhelming, so be patient and calm. Point out things that could have been done better, but also give credit for things that have been done well.
If it’s okay with the instructor, try sitting in on one of your child’s lessons. That way, you can get an idea of his or her level of competency and way of dealing with hazards and other road users.
Image by Andrew Stawarz
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