How to Teach Someone to Drive a Car

Teaching someone to drive requires nerves of steel and infinite patience. If you are the kind of person who can handle it, though, it can be very rewarding. With a few carefully planned steps, you can teach someone to drive in no time.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Have the person read the driver's training manual completely. These are provided at your local DMV. They will also need to take a written test in order to be issued their Learner's Permit. They cannot even attempt to get behind the wheel of a car without a Learner's Permit.

2. Go over the basic functions of the car. Show the person what each switch and control does inside the car. You can use the car's manual as a guide. Also make sure they know where you keep the car's registration and insurance information.

3. Drive to an empty parking lot to start out in. Switch places with them. Talk them through starting the engine and learning to accelerate slowly. Also take them through gradual acceleration and how to brake with ease.

4. Practice basic driving techniques in the empty parking lot until you feel they have a good understanding. Also make sure they feel completely comfortable.

5. Find a driver's training course near you. If you cannot find one, use the empty parking lot and just set up some traffic cones. Practice the harder things now like parking, sharp turns, three-quarter turns, etc.

6. When you both feel they have mastered everything, take them to a lightly traveled road to gain some real practice. You can also take them to areas where there is some traffic or construction to gain even more experience.

Tips & Warnings

• Always speak in clear terms so as not to confuse the driver.
• Practice in different weather conditions.
• You can purchase traffic cones at your local hardware store.
• Check out some local high schools to see if they have a driver's course.
• Never yell or take out any frustrations on a prospective driver. Chances are they are already nervous.

[GilinAtlanta]

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 newbie to drive. God bless.