Things You'll Need:
- Auto Emergency Kits
- Car Jacks
- Car Insurance
- Traffic Rule Books
- Booster Cables
- Maps
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Step 1
Make sure your teen has a learner's permit, license or any other requirement necessary before beginning driver training.
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Step 2
Review the rules of the road the teenager learned during the required classroom hours.
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Step 3
Drive to an empty parking lot or driving course.
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Step 4
Explain the basic workings of the entire car, inside and out, before letting your teen start the engine. Go over each part and process in detail, including everything under the hood, the dashboard controls, the gas tank, the tires and the emergency equipment. Repeat until you're sure your teenager understands.
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Step 5
Demonstrate how everything works: the lights, seat belts, windshield wipers, blinkers, horn, emergency lights, transmission, seat adjustment, steering wheel, mirrors and defroster.
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Step 6
Sit in the passenger seat and have your teen start the engine.
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Step 7
Point out how acceleration, braking and smooth transmission shifts feel.
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Step 8
Give corrections, warnings and tips as you make your way around the course, and discuss overall points when you've finished.
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Step 9
Sprinkle your lesson with what-if scenarios. Cover such possibilities as a child running across the road, traffic signals going out, emergency vehicles pulling up behind, a tire going flat, and so forth.
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Step 10
Remind your teen that it's important to always have the car's registration and insurance information accessible in the car and to carry a driver's license or permit.
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Step 11
Note skill improvements and make the course progressively more difficult, finally going out into traffic when you think your teen is ready.
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Step 12
Practice again and again.
Comments
GilinAtlanta said
on 4/10/2009 I took drivers' ed in high school and will NEVER forget my instructor telling me and all the others in the car the same question a million times. It has stayed with me and comes back to me even to this day, some 35 years later. "Where's your car going?" When we veered into another lane unexpectedly or got too close to other cars, he'd ask that question like the sounding of an alarm. Although we quickly adjusted after it, our incentive was to keep control so we wouldn't hear it again. Now, we who graduated from that class and have been driving safer all these years wear that on our memories like a proverbial badge of honor. If you don't have a phrase like that, maybe you would want to use it. Either way, lots of prayer to you who teach and watch the teen to drive. God bless.
rcindric said
on 2/10/2009 I had two teenage girls, my best advice is let your wife handle the teaching, it will all end in tears anyway.
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 When taking the road test with the State cop, make sure you stop whenever you come to the end of a street where you can go left or right, even if there is no stop sign. I went for my road test last week and failed because I yielded and didn't fully stop.
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 When driving in traffic and difficult conditions, I find that it helps to use the clearest language possible when communicating to the student. I know this may be hard if you are nervous or believe that you are in true danger of a crash, but as a driver, I am not sure what to do if I hear "look out!", or "right here...you...ok, never mind". Go for clear, concise instructions, like "STOP", "Slow Down", "Speed up", "It's Open", "the next left". NEVER raise your voice with any of those, with the possible exception of "STOP" and "FLOOR IT" if you are in true danger of crashing/getting hit.
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 I am always nervous when driving in traffic, so hearing someone use imperative (command) words when simply conversing makes me nervous, especially if someone starts talking with a word like "stop", "wait", or any other strong, driving related, command.