The 2020 Guide For Parents Whose Kids Are Learning To Drive

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We love road trips and when we travel we always opt for alternatives to flying (although this cannot always be avoided). Driving can be a real pleasure and a lovely slow way to explore and discover a new place and it's a skill I want my kids to have in the future.

Despite my eldest only being 9 I am all to aware of how quickly the years are flying by and I know in the blink of an eye one day your children will grow old enough to drive. This will be their first true challenge in life. Before they start paying bills, taxes and start working for a living, they will need to learn how to drive. This gives them a lot of personal freedom. They can go to work by themselves, live an independent life, and never be too far away from any location in the world. As long as they have a driver’s license the world is their oyster. But, cars have dramatically changed. Technology in the automotive sector is in the midst of a rapid shift and that brings along new challenges for first-time drivers. What can you do to better prepare your kids?

YouTube for education

Think back to the time when you learned how to drive. Wouldn’t it have been easier if you knew how the car worked? It would have made the instructor’s orders much simpler to understand and quicker to execute. Thankfully, there is a wealth of knowledge on YouTube. There are videos of how cars work. You and your child can learn how the gearbox works, how steering columns react to input, and how the engine responds to your throttle demands. Look for videos from prominent engineering channels and search for any videos they have done on cars and car design. You and your children could spend around 20-30 minutes a day watching videos about the basics of driving. Checking mirrors, how to know when someone is in your blind spot, what is countersteering, etc, are all topics you can cover.

In trusted hands

If you’re going to book your children a first driving lesson, be sure you have looked at all your options. Before you choose a driving instructor, check their background. If you’re not going private research the company’s history. If you spot bad reviews, it's time to move on to another. This company has a 100-year old history of giving driving lessons with certified instructors. They only use people who have passed their own test, therefore they have a firm grasp of the standards. This means that instead of the usual 30-40 hours it takes on average to pass the driving test, they can bring that number down to 20. Your child will be in trusted hands and thanks to their approach to the relationship between pupil and instructor, around 84% of students stay with one instructor all the way to the finish line.

Quality role-playing time

We are currently in lockdown, but that’s no reason why you can’t have a session of role-playing with your kids every day. If they’re close to the age where they can learn how to drive, get them mentally ready by sitting alongside them and going over basic car functioning. Close your eyes and imagine you’re reverse parking. See if they look over their shoulder and check the mirrors in one smooth motion. If they cross their arms, correct them.

The right protection

When it comes to learning how to drive it's very important to make sure you and your child have the right insurance and that you are fully protected. You want to make sure your insurance covers the costs of personal injury legal professionals should an accident happen. 

Preparation and more preparation, that’s how your children can pass their driving test for the first time. While you have time in the lockdown, watch YouTube videos with your kids and show them how cars mechanically function.