ADVICE FOR PARENTS
Advice for Parents...
Finding The Right Instructor...
This is a key step. Probably the biggest. If you type "driving instructors near me" into Google you will receive a deluge of names returned back to you. Best thing to do is ask the learner if they have any names or preferences. Such as a male or female instructor.
Word of mouth is a key advertisement for instructors so ask around if anyone knows any in the area. Again, you will most likely receive a lot of names back.
Do your research. If the instructor has a website then that should be a good source of information. Such as contact details, prices, teaching methods, the car used and so on.
A good driving instructor should not teach your friend or relative to pass the test. They should be teaching them how to drive safely on the roads. If they can learn to read the road ahead, figure out where to go and then apply a safe and structured method to get them there then the driving test should be easy. Driving is something that will be with any learner driver for the rest of their lives and they should be encouraged to think for themselves and not allow bad habits or risk taking to bed in.
The best instructors that encourage the right messages will usually be the most expensive. Remember, nothing cheap is good and nothing good is cheap. Passing the test with some driving faults is not a true representation of the learner or the instructor. It is the messages put across and attitude of the learner after that are the true marks of quality.
When To Take Them Out...
In theory, this can start at any time. Remember, learners are encouraged to gain as much practice as possible on as many road types as possible. Do keep it reasonable, though. Do not encourage a fast track approach. The pupil should agree with the their instructor a methodological learning plan that will usually take up to several months. So try and avoid taking your teenager on a national speed limit dual-carriageway or a very busy, complex roundabout if they have not come to these topics with the instructor.There is the safety for other road users involved as well.
In the early weeks, anything to do with driving is new to a novice driver. And like a sponge they should be soaking it all up. Do not worry about putting across bad habits or a lack of driving knowledge at this stage as it is purely the basics they are learning.
When the learner is reaching their driving test stage then a lack of driving knowledge can interfere. Such as checking blind spots before moving off from a parked position. This is critical to safety and has been taught for many years, but how many experienced drivers have forgotten to do this key step.
A common mistake by parents, friends or relatives and even instructors is to tell the pupil exactly what to do rather than coach them through it. Drivers have to think for themselves in the end.
Taking the learner out for more practice should be encourage at all times. Once a week with a simple drive is fine.
What To Do With Them And What To Expect...
Expect to be out with a novice behind the wheel. No matter how good they seem they do not have thousands of hours of driving solo to back them up but they should be encouraged. Which is why keeping common sense in mind is a good idea. Ask them what they want to practice, such as roundabouts, reverse manoeuvres etc. Try to watch what they're doing as well as the road ahead and expect them to show the signs of planning later than you would.
The hardest thing for anyone when driving is to not know where they're going. This forces the driver to be reactive to instruction which can encourage late planning. Give the learner early notice of where to go at the next junction. A good trick when teaching someone to drive is to let them take over the responsibility of where to go. Get them to drive to the shops or work or school and let them be in charge of the route. It does not matter if they go the wrong way so long as it looked like form the outside they meant to go that way. Then no harm or potential harm is done.
Driving can be tiring and they have only been spending around two hours a week with the instructor. Keep the journeys or practice periods short to keep them keen on the art. If they want to do a long journey then that can be okay to do so long as they're capable.
