Parents often have fear in their hearts while teaching their children to drive. Teenagers are overwhelmed the first time you hand them the steering wheel. Teaching them good manners is in parents’ hands. Worrying if your daughter/son might meet an accident won’t work if you want your children to embark on independence. You have to take a chance and provide them a comfortable environment to learn to drive.
People make mistakes and learn from the mistake. Giving a teenager a fancy new car to learn to drive might not be a good choice. You can find several vehicles at the used car dealership just perfect to teach them. You can get a car with high mileage of around $3,000, which can turn out to be a great deal.
Before you hit down the used car dealership, get a detailed Revs Check report. You don’t want to give your child the vehicle with stolen records or any financial issues. Later, when they are perfect enough to drive comfortably, you can surprise them with a new one.
Much like kids, teaching a teen to drive a car is challenging and requires a tremendous amount of restrain. Here is a complete guideline for a parent on how to teach their teen to drive.
Teach them the basics
Before you drive your kid to open space to teach driving, teach them the basics of the car. The basics of the car fundamentally mean the features and controls. Please give them a brief introduction of the following controls and how they work.
- Seat and seat belts
- Dashboard controls
- Infotainment and navigation
- Mirror adjustment
- Headlight and pass lights
- Turn signals
- Gear
- Hand and foot brake
- Gas pedal
- Accelerator
- Gear shifters
- Safety equipment like airbags, stability control system, rearview mirror, and other warning devices
- Underhood parts like battery, radiator, AC compressor, alternator, etc.
Moreover, it would be great to show your children the compartments to put driver’s license, insurance card, and other vehicle-related documents safely.
Go to an open space
Most parents take their children to a parking lot or the airport to teach them to drive a car. It’s a great choice because learners tend to fear the obstacles easily and lose control. Parents who decide to teach their teens to drive on a busy road should be worrying about the potential consequences.
Once they’ve got the hang of basic maneuvers, consider taking them to a no-stress used car dealership like EchoPark in Atlanta, where you can explore different types of vehicles that might suit your teen’s skill level and comfort, ensuring they have the right set up for practice without the pressure.
Once you tell your child the basics, switch the passenger’s seat with them and let them get the feel of the vehicle.
We all are aware that safety is the pinnacle. When people sit on the driving seat, they are often overwhelmed and forget to put on the seat belt. The first thing you should teach your children is to take safety measures seriously at all costs. They should know to scan potential hazards, check mirrors, check gas, and keep the most 15-meter distance between cars.
Initially, please don’t turn on the engine; instead, make them practice pressing the brakes and shifting gears. After that, ask them to put the vehicle in first gear and guide them to apply the gas pedal. Once they are comfortable with the situation, leap forward in teaching complex things like shifting gears and using the hand brakes.
Advanced skills
Performing advanced driving skills deals with driving safely in any adverse road condition with safety. Start the advanced skills if you think your child can drive around in an open space comfortably. Now, take the car to the highway. At first, driving in multiple lanes might scare them. Please encourage them to drive slowly and steadily on the highway. Teach them that highway driving is not a racing track; rather, it’s a broadway safe to their destination.
A driver should have the following skillsets while driving on the highway.
- Drive carefully in the blind spots.
- Keep a safe distance around you.
- Maintain proper speed
- Reading traffic signs and signals
- Comfortably drive-pass heavy vehicles
- Apply adequate brake
- Properly using the navigation screen
- Keeping an eye in mirrors every 6 seconds
Also, check out Drift School for even more driving education help.
Teaching responsibility
People just don’t drive a car when you drive a car. While you teach your child to learn to drive, talk through the responsibilities he’s lifting behind those wheels. Cars don’t drive themselves; it requires gasoline. Furthermore, a driver is responsible for maintaining and repairing the car if any problem arises.
Following traffic signs and signals should be your teen’s top priority. Moreover, discuss the safety measures and financial responsibility while owning a car.
Not everyone can teach their teen to drive as no teen has the same approach to drive a car. Also, there is no denying the fact that parents’ are better tutors than others. As a parent, make sure to teach every aspect of the car unless they are proficient.
Infographic created by Capital Auto Auction
