I am teaching my sixteen year old to drive, does anyone have any practical tips for the occasion?

Question

Also, my four year old cried because he didn't get his turn to drive...?

Answer 1

Hope I'm not too late. Many of the suggestions given were good. I can only add that you should also teach your sixteen year old how to change a tire and check air pressure; how to jump start a car using jumper cables; how to check the oil, brake fluid, radiator levels, AT fluid; and how to drive a manual transmission.

I did this with both my son and my daughter. This lets your new driver know that having a car is a responsibility as well as a privilege.

Good luck to you and yours.

Answer 2

You should practice driving around your neighborhood or an empty parking lot, like I did, a few times, practicing all sorts of driving techniques. It's a little scary at first to go out on the road, so this makes you less nervous. Practice makes perfect. Oh, another thing, never let your sixteen year old drive anyone's car but yours. An older car is generally easier to drive in and borrowing other people's cars could become debts for you to pay like if there are any accidents.

About your four year old, teach him/her that four year olds cannot drive or they would make the world a dangerous place. You could buy one of those fisher-price driving wheel toys if he/she isn't too big for them, or buy them those race videogames.

Answer 3

OK the sixteen year old tell him he messes up once, he needs to be 18 before he drives again. (this is once he gets the drivers license) Practice is essential, you need to get him out on the road as much as possible. Have him drive you everywhere, groceries, school, etc. without that training, he will not be a good driver because the tests are so easy. As for the 4 year old put him in the back and let him ride along.
Good luck

Answer 4

My son is five and I CAN DEFINITELY WAIT untill that time comes- 11 years to go!
here's a list of do's and don't that might help:

DO - Hire a driving instruction school to be the first people to teach your teen to drive. Two major benefits to this are you get a discount on your new insurance rate and you get to keep your sanity. (Yes, your insurance will probably go up with a new driver in the house.)

DON'T - Take your child out on the road the first time he/she is behind the wheel. If you can't find a driving school, start in an empty, large parking lot. Then gradually move up to the road.

DON'T - Take your child out on the road the first time he/she is behind the wheel. If you can't find a driving school, start in an empty, large parking lot. Then gradually move up to the road.

DO - Require your child to have at least ten hours behind the wheel with you BEFORE he/she takes their driving test. The test, in most states, is pretty simple. A teen will come home with their new license and believe they are ready for the Indy 500. By requiring more time of practice, before they take the test, you will eliminate their false sense of security and you will also feel more secure.

DON'T - Let them learn from a friend. Most states require a permit driver to be with a driver that has had their license for at least one year. They shouldn't be driving with friends until they have their license, and then it needs to be limited, as this is a leading cause of accidents among teens Eye Opening Statistics.

DO - Draw up a contract between you and your teen. Stipulate new responsibilities that go along with the new privilege of driving. Here is a sample, Contract Between Parents and Teen Drivers

DON'T - Set a bad example. Adhere to all the safety rules, (seat belts, speed limits, etc.), while you are driving with your teen. Enforce these rules on them.

DO - Set limits. A lot of accidents happen at night, so limit nighttime driving. Put these limits in the contract.

DON'T - Scare them to death, even though you may be *a little* nervous. The more security they feel from you, the more secure they will be. Hence they will be able to make the quick decisions needed for driving. So when they just miss the fender of the car in front of them, take a deep breath and count back from 10 (or 20 or 100...

Answer 5

Start out in as empty a parking lot as possible, and treat as you would a street (keep to the right, signal, shoulder check, pretend to yield, park in a designated space forwards and backwards.) Then, when all are bored of this, progress to wide, non-residential (if possible) streets. As confidence and skill increase, gradually move up the ladder. Before the driver's exam, have your child take a lesson or two from a professional, and be evaluated. It's also a good idea to re-read the driver's manual that your child read so You know the new rules and techniques. When you drive, ask your child to point out mistakes in your and others driving. Make a game of it.

Sorry about your four year old, but they shouldn't even be in the car while practicing (it will disturb your 16 yr old.) Tell your youngest you'll take them out for a treat, like ice cream if their good.

Good luch to you and your child. I hope all works out.

Answer 6

Let him/her practice in a large paking lot with no cars around and then let him go onto the road. Also, you should get him/her professional driving lessons. Maybe leave the 4 year old at home the next time or tell him when he gets 16 he can do the same otherwise the police won't be happy. lol That's how I learned how to drive. I hope this helps, Good Luck! :)

Answer 7

Oh my God, the nightmare is back! I went through two learning drivers. I drove one way out into the country and let him practice on roads where there wasn't a lot of traffic. The other, I found a new community being built that already had the roads paved. We went there on Sundays when no one was working and practiced there. I taught them parallel parking by setting large trash cans in the street and had them park between them. If they knocked them over, they had to pick up the trash and try again. They learned that one very quick! As to the 4 year old... Good luck!

Answer 8

Go to a large empty parking lot only allow him to drive in reverse. Backing up is the hardest part of driving and if you can manuever a vehicle completely in reverse around the "lanes" and into parking lines you can drive well. My father taught me in the old A&P parking lot on his old standard truck. It was hard to learn the shifting and manuevering forward so he thought it would be easier to only go in reverse. I learned quickly the balance of the clutch and the gas which is the hardest part of driving stick. Work on parallel parking and k turns until he can do them without getting nervous they are the hardest on the road test. I think the best part of the empty parking lot is it keeps the parent from getting nervous about hitting another vehicle or losing control on a busy street. If you are not stressing and freaking out he will automatically be more relaxed and that in itself makes for a safer driver. Above all remind him of the importance of seat belts and road signs. Teach him to be a cautious driver and mind the rules of the road.

Answer 9

don't yell at him. Use hand gestures if you need to not big ones though. Yelling stresses them out and makes them nervous and then they suc at driving the rest of the time. Be calm. Start out letting them drive at times when there is little traffic. You might even want to just let them drive around back roads or in a neighbor hood the first day.

Answer 10

Find an empty parking lot. Put empty garbage cans in the lot. Have your child drive in-and-out, swirving around them without hitting them. Move the cans closer or at more challenging positons and repeat. Do the same tasks driving in reverse.

Good luck!

Answer 11

Be patient. It helps to try and remember what it was like when you were learning to drive. Sometimes, as adults, we forget how everything seems like a matter of life and death at that age. (i.e. - My parent yelled at me about when I almost ran into that tree. How dare they! Now I'll NEVER learn to drive and I'll have to live at home forever and I'll never date and my life is OVER.) Teenage perspective is definitely different.

Also, the four year old thing is one of the cutest problems I've ever heard!