Teenagers & Driving
Earlier times, if the parents allowed their teenagers to learn driving - to the teenager, it was like finding a diamond in a coal mine. Learning to drive was a strict 'no' from par...

Earlier times, if the parents allowed their teenagers to learn driving - to the teenager, it was like finding a diamond in a coal mine. Learning to drive was a strict 'no' from parents as they would say, "Your have your whole life ahead of you; study and stand on your feet and then, fulfill your wish". I think what would come to their mind first was the child's safety and second, I am sure, was whether with this distraction, the child's study would falter.

Nowadays, parents have become much more forward and they want their teenagers to rub their shoulders with others in every respect, learning to drive being one of them. If this is the case, then the parents must :

- sit down with them and discuss the positive and negative aspects of driving.

- teach them the qualities required of a good driver, first and foremost being keeping temper under control and being co-operative and second, to be able to judge the traffic.

- explain how practice will make them perfect and that it is not at all easy as it sounds.

- accompany them in their practice sessions and if you are teaching, make sure you do it initially on a open ground and then, with time, make them drive on roads, lanes and by-lanes. This will give them road sense, signal timings and good positioning for turns.

- tell them how much it is important to stay alert every second as they are beginners and also the importance of seat belts.

- strictly instruct them that you will stop them from driving, even half a kilometer, if they are not well or under some medications.

- tell them beforehand, which behaviour will result in their loss of driving privileges.

- remember that when you are behind the wheels, how your actions, judgements, reactions, skills will be closely monitored by your teenagers because they will try to follow the way you are going about driving.

- remember not to make your teenagers feel incompetent in any way as some are quick to learn and some are slow.

Whatever you tell them, communicate on one-to-one basis and in a clear-cut way so that, at the end of the hour, they stay focused and not end up in a mess.