When teenagers take to the wheel

How we train our new drivers is under scrutiny this month – because the Government is still rightly concerned about the number of young driver deaths on our roads.

What can a parent do when the time comes for their teenager to take to the road and learn to drive? The short answer is “pay for it” – as there is no substitute for proper professional tuition.

But the hands-on parent who wants to help their youngster with practice at the wheel can help make the process less daunting, and perhaps reduce the need for quite so many lessons, before the dreaded L-test.

IAM experts argue that drivers who practice with supervision in addition to their lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) are more rounded at the end of the process and increase the chances of first time test success.

But driving lessons are not getting any cheaper (if only because of the rising cost of petrol the instructor needs).

If you want to help your youngster learn to drive, you need to go back to driving school yourself. Be prepared to sit in the back when your youngster has their first driving lessons – but say nothing. Just take it all in.

That way you can see and hear for yourself what the professional instructor is advising, and make sure that you reinforce those messages when you are helping on practice drives with your youngster.

You have to also realise that your driving style may be an effective one for you as an experienced driver, but not necessarily a direct fit with the syllabus that the ADI will be working to preparing your youngster for the test. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) also publishes the curriculum on their website – another very useful resource for parents.

Please remember too that not every family car is suitable for practicing in, of course: a larger vehicle that has an automatic transmission is of limited use if you know that your youngster will eventually do their test in a manual Micra, for example.