Quinn-Direct: how to Keep Your Calm When Teaching Your Child to Drive

LONDON, September 13, 2010 - So your son/daughter has their provisional licence, is learning to drive
and you are probably paying for their lessons. You know that money doesn't
grow on trees but you also want your child to get as much instruction and
practice as possible. If you are a bit strapped for cash or want to
supplement your child's lessons with some extra practice, you may want to
consider taking him/her out in your car. However, this can be stressful and
has the potential to go wrong, so we've put together this handy guide to
keeping your sanity!

Are you suitable to teach?

Before you discuss taking your son/daughter out to practice driving, you
may want to think over whether you are suitable to take your child out on the
road. Some people's temperaments are better suited to teaching people than
others. Calmness and patience are required to teach driving. Is this you? Are
you likely to lose patience or your temper? Is your son/daughter hot-headed,
impetuous or stubborn? Remember that an argument that starts while teaching
someone to drive is potentially very dangerous. If in doubt, leave it to a
professional instructor for young drivers.

Prepare yourself and your car!

Use this check-list to get you and your car ready:

    - Car insurance is compulsory for all learner drivers. Therefore you must
      contact your car insurance (www.quinn-direct.co.uk/) provider to
      add the learner driver as a named driver on your policy or take out a
      separate insurance policy for the learner driver. There are several
      providers that offer dedicated young person's car insurance (
      www.quinn-direct.co.uk/car-insurance/young-driver.html) and
      insurance for provisional license holders. Make sure the insurance
      provider is aware that the learner has a provisional license and will
      be learning to drive using the car and take note of any restrictions

    - Get an up-to-date copy of the Highway Code and brush up on
      everything that you've forgotten. Remember that you don't want your
      offspring to pick up any bad driving habits that you may have developed
      over the years!

    - The supervising driver must be at least 21 years old & have a full
      driving license (for the type of vehicle they are supervising in -
      manual or automatic), which must have been held for a minimum of three
      years

    - The driver must meet the minimum eyesight standards

    - Ensure that your car is in a safe and legal condition and that
      the clutch, lights and brakes work properly. If there are any problems,
      get it sorted out by a mechanic.

    - Put the 'L' learner drivers sign (or D in Wales) on the front and
      back of your car.

    Teaching tips

    When teaching your child to drive, bear the following tips in mind to
    help them have an enjoyable experience:

    - Try to refrain from making comments like 'What are you
      doing?' as they will put your charge ill at ease and create a bad
      atmosphere.

    - Don't shout orders such as 'Brake now!' as they will also make
      the young driver nervous.

    - Make sure you tell your child at the beginning of the lesson what
      skills you will be practising today, e.g. parking. This will help them
      feel prepared.

    - Whilst they are driving, calmly comment on the road ahead and
      point out any hazards they may encounter.

    - Give praise where it's due and also point out things that they
      have done wrong. Just remember to remain calm!

    - Try to pick an area where there is little traffic until your
      charge feels more confident. Start off with a quiet residential area,
      and then move to busier areas until the learner can cope with busy town
      centres and dual carriageways.

    - Put emphasis on 'Mirror, signal, manoeuvre' so that this becomes
      ingrained in the learners mind. Do this for other procedures such as
      parallel parking.

    - Ensure that seat belts are worn at all times and mobile phones
      are not used.

Contact: Carrie Greene, Carrie.Greene@weare2020.com,+44(0)117-930-8800

Contact: Carrie Greene, Carrie.Greene at weare2020.com,+44(0)117-930-8800