5 driving tips to pass onto your kids
**A contributed post as written for The Safe Driver.
If your children are getting on the road, then they’re going to be well-taught by the instructor who is teaching them how to indicate, drive safely, and so on. However, there’s much more to driving than just learning how to park and the like. Indeed, pretty soon after passing, those things will be second-nature, but the “other things” that we need to learn will be a constant test. Here’s where you step in. Below, we take a look at five things you’ll want to pass onto your new driver children.
Ignore Road Rage
Road rage is just a fact of driving life. Someone will cut you off, someone will beep their horn at you, you’ll be frustrated, and so on and so forth; there are plenty of annoying aspects of driving that could cause bad energy. While it’s tempting to rise to road rage, or exhibit it yourself, life is much better if you don’t. The best case scenario is that you feel marginally and momentarily better; the worst case scenarios are losing control of your vehicle or getting into an altercation. Neither of those incidents is going to improve your life. Make sure your children know that.
What To Do When Something Goes Wrong
Try as we might, there’s always a chance that something is going to go wrong when we’re driving. Your child will be well versed on how to drive properly, and thus ensure they’re safe on the road, but they won’t know what to do if they’re in a wreck. Before letting them out on the road on their own, give them all the information they need to handle a car crash as well as can be expected. It all might seem obvious to you, but look at from your child’s perspective; they have no idea!
Different Driving Conditions
Your child has probably learned to drive around your neighbourhood, in pleasant conditions. But how often is life like that? If they’re going out on the road, then they’ll experience different types of terrain and weather conditions. If they’re learning in the summer, give them the 411 on driving in snow before winter arrives. If they’re going on a road trip, explain what they can expect when driving in the mountains, for instance.
Car Security
They’ve just got a new car…let’s make sure it stays that way! Children haven’t yet been exposed to the realities of the world, and the reality is that there are people out there who are willing to steal cars. Sad but true! If you’ve just bought them a vehicle, make sure they know the correct ways to keep their car and their belongings safe. You definitely don’t want to receive a call saying that their car has been stolen….
It’s Always a Responsibility
Finally, drill into them that driving will always be a luxury! They shouldn’t take their newly found freedom for granted – if they break the rules, you’ll be more than willing to confiscate their keys until they know how to handle the road better.
Excellent advice!