Things You'll Need:
- Patience
- * Time
- * Empty parking lot
- * A Quiet street
- * Good brakes
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Step 1
The first thing every teen should do when they are ready to learn to drive is go to their local Department of Motor Vehicle Safety division and get a drivers training manual. There is information in the manual on safety, driving procedure, and traffic laws that everyone should know before getting behind the wheel of a car. Make sure your child reads and understands the manual. Give them pop quizzes to test their knowledge. It's a good idea to give your child at least a week to look over and study the manual before letting him take the learners permit test.
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Step 2
Next you need to help your child become familiar with all the controls on the vehicle they will be driving. Go over where to find the lights, turn signal and wiper switches. Explain about looking in the mirrors at regular intervals, and when backing up. Also help him set the mirrors so that he can see correctly out of them. Make sure he knows where the emergency brake and hazard lights are located. Help him get the seat and steering wheel in the right positions. Once all of these tasks are accomplished you are ready to take him somewhere to begin the actual driving instruction.
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Step 3
Now he has the information from the driver’s manual, and knows where all of the controls on the vehicle are located. He should be ready for his first lesson. One of the best places to start teaching your child to drive is in a vacant parking lot. If you can borrow some orange construction cones it would be an added bonus for this part of the driving instruction. If you can't get cones it's not a problem, you can use parking spaces and chalk. It's best to have two adults for this part of the training if possible. Draw chalk lines on the asphalt to represent stop lines. Have your child practice driving forward and stopping at a line. Then, have him back up in a straight line until you say stop; making sure to look over his shoulder when backing some of the time, along with using the mirror. It's a good idea to practice the quick stop during this part of the training also. Being prepared to stop quickly saves lives and reduces accidents.The next thing he should practice is the three point turn. Set cones up, or draw chalk lines to form a parking spot/box. Have your child pull forward then back up into the box. Another adult standing outside the car will be able to tell him if he's went too far and is out of the other side of the box, or if he hits a cone slightly. He should be able to pull out of the spot/box and go the other direction without crossing over into where the other lane of traffic would be. If you have cones you can set them up to represent the dividing line, or use chalk. You will probably know just by looking if he's too far over. You can also have your child practice parking in regular parking spots. Even though there isn't as much call for it these days, it would be a good idea to teach him to parallel park. You never know when he will have to do it, and it's better to be prepared. If you are teaching your child to drive in a manual transmission be sure to teach braking and stopping on hills.Take each maneuver slowly and keep calm when training your child. He will make mistakes and be nervous at first. Just keep in mind how scared you were when you first learned to drive and it will help. Don't yell at him. If he makes a mistake just reiterate how to do it properly. You are on the parking lot because he is just beginning and things will go wrong. It's not a big deal and he doesn't have to get everything perfect the first day. Just be patient and enjoy the fact that you are sharing this milestone with your child.
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Step 4
Once he gets all of the basics down he is ready for the road. Pick a relatively quiet street to start on. At first he needs to get used to staying between the lines and watching other drivers, using turn signals and correctly making the turns, braking procedures, and how to follow traffic signs and signals. If you are on a street that isn't very busy it will be easier for him to concentrate on everything. Having too many cars or distraction around can cause your child to be overly nervous and have an accident. Starting on a quiet street will help your nerves also. Remember not to yell if you can help it. Sometimes when scared it will happen on reflex, and that is ok. Just apologize and get back on track. It's best to speak firmly but calmly when your child makes a mistake. That way they don't jump or startle and do something even more dangerous. One precaution you can take is to keep your hand close to the emergency brake, so that if something should come up you are prepared to react quickly. Just let your child drive around for a while on back streets to get the feel of actually being on the road among other drivers. It's a good idea to do this for a week at least before taking him on a busier street.
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Step 5
When both of you are comfortable with everything it's time to go on busier streets and interstates. This is a very important part of the process that some parents leave off because they are too nervous themselves. You really need to help your child become comfortable driving on highways and interstates. It will be scary at first, but it's almost essential for his safety. It's better that he learn with you in the car than by himself later. Just take it slow and everything will be fine. By the time he gets to this stage he will have been driving for a month and should be prepared.Once he gets this part down you are home free. You have successfully taught your child how to drive and kept your sanity!
