They’ve passed their driving test! It’s a proud moment for many parents, if a little worrying at the same time. For now everyone’s ready to celebrate and, once the obligatory photos have been posted to social media (with personal details blurred, obviously), your teen will be excited to gain their independence away from watchful eyes. There’s no denying it’s a big milestone for any teen, whilst also being a turning point in the lives of parents whose taxi service is no longer needed.
If you’re an experienced driver whose teen has recently passed their test, you’ll be all too aware of the dangers of those busy roads. Your teen, on the other hand, could be one of many who think they’re invincible now they’ve ripped up those L plates. So, if you’re an anxious parent, how can you calm your thoughts as your child takes to the road? The first thing to remember is that these thoughts are not unfounded. Dealing with them can feel like tipping over the edge into the realm of overprotective parenting. Usually, though, nervous thoughts can be calmed by talking them through.
1 Teach good driving habits
If you do have parental anxiety to any degree, it can help to encourage your teenager to pick up good driving habits – and you can do that without transferring your worries. Take the time to talk to your teen and have regular conversations about the importance of safe driving.
Distracted driving is a widespread issue which affects drivers of all ages – not just teens. As a parent, you’ll want to discourage distracted driving and behaviours that will take their eyes off the road. These include eating & drinking, adjusting the radio, talking to passengers and using their smartphones to talk, text or access apps whilst at the wheel.
You don’t want to put them off driving altogether, it’s just about explaining the consequences of their actions. All it takes is one silly mistake, speeding or lapsed concentration to impact their lives and those of their passengers – which is why hitting home the importance of safe driving is key.
Many smartphones have driving modes and do not disturb settings which silence messages & notifications whilst driving. Make sure your teen sets their route on GPS and chooses their music before starting the car. Encourage them to focus on the road, not their smartphone. If they must make a call – make sure they’re in the habit of connecting their phone to the car via Bluetooth, which will allow them to make a call hands free if they really need to. Once they’re driving, the safest place for your teen’s phone to be is in their glovebox. Establishing a safe routine before they drive is a great way to quell parental anxiety too.
2 Encourage them to wear their seatbelt
Of all the safety advancements in automotive history, seatbelts are by far the best way for drivers of any age to protect themselves. Even so, many young drivers will admit to not wearing theirs. As useful as collision alerts and lane assist technology can be, wearing seat belts saves lives. So, to protect your child and help alleviate parental anxiety, discuss the importance of wearing a seat belt with your teen – buckling up is the best way to protect yourself in a collision.
3 Lead by example
Are you a good role model in the car? A teen’s actions are often influenced by how their parents behave. If you are a safe, sensible driver yourself, the chances are that your teen will adopt the same approach. When it comes to using phones in the car, parents can be just as bad as their teens. Checking a text means taking your eyes off the road, and that’s when anything could go wrong. So, put your phone down – in the glovebox is even better – and drive as though you’re on camera for the whole journey – this will help to deter you from picking up your smartphone whilst you’re on the move.
Encourage your young driver to be conscious of other drivers. If you leave plenty of space between your car and the one in front, your teen will be more likely to leave time and space for other drivers so that, if something does happen, they can react in plenty of time.
4 Promote the advantages of experience
The more time a teen spends behind the wheel before passing their test, the safer they are likely to be. A lack of driving experience is often the leading factor that contributes to road accidents involving teens. Even though they’ve only been driving for a short time, teens will often overestimate their driving skills whilst also underestimating the dangers posed on the road.
Skill comes with time, and it’s not something every teen driver develops as quickly as they’d like to. A cocktail of speed and overconfidence is a major concern - with speeds tending to rise over time, increasing the risk of an incident.
If you’re anxious that a lack of experience could affect your teen, it’s important to remember that their skills will improve with time. Need to put your mind at rest? Try to supervise some of your teen’s journeys once they’ve passed to help prevent bad habits from creeping in and also give you confidence in their driving.
Be patient when your teen is driving, and try to avoid letting your nerves show. Grabbing the door handle or slamming those imaginary brakes is a bit of a giveaway – sorry! Instead, highlight the positives of the drive and try to air any feedback constructively in a relaxed tone, as doing so will help your teen to improve their skills.
If you’re still worried, think about suggesting a Pass Plus course. Taking part in an advanced driving course will offer your teen the benefit of further experience in many areas of driving, such as driving at night, motorway driving, navigating rural roads, and much more.
5 Make sure your teen gets to know their vehicle
Most modern cars are equipped with lots of safety features – think lane assist and collision alerts, emergency braking and speed alerts. But many drivers aren’t aware of the technology within their own vehicles, or they have them turned off.
Safety features are not only designed to avert accidents, they can also be a valuable learning tool to help teens understand things like safe following and stopping distances – in turn this helps to reduce instances like tail-gating.
Make sure you have a solid understanding of the features available to your teen and spend some time demonstrating how they can be used. It’s important that your teen knows not to rely on safety features to steer them out of trouble – they’re more of a learning tool to help develop safe driving skills.
6 Make sure they know the highway code
When you have years of experience, driving becomes second nature. But, to help your teen brush up on the rules of the road, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re up to date too. Going back to basics and reviewing the Highway Code with your teen helps to encourage sensible driving habits. Remember, they look up to you and learn more from you than you think.
7 Look at the data
If your teen’s car has a black box, encourage them to show you how they’re performing. This will let you identify and work on any problem areas together. With technology by your side, you can assure your teen you’re not ‘judging’ them. In fact, you’re just helping them to become a happy, confident and safe driver.
Black boxes monitor things like speed, acceleration, braking, cornering, and mobile phone use. A Black Box Insurance policy through Marmalade allows young drivers to use an app which shows when they’ve driven well, or not so well. This helps to highlight areas of improvement whilst also drawing attention to positive driving behaviours.
8 Demonstrate the money-saving benefits
Safe driving has many benefits, not to mention for your wallet. If you’ve run a quote for a teen driver, or tried adding your teen to your own car insurance, you might have had a bit of a shock. One of the best ways to make driving more accessible to teens is to get to grips with the various types of new driver insurance policies available.
Through Marmalade you will find policies designed with young drivers in mind. From learner driver driver to black box insurance box insurance policies, there are plenty of options for your teen to consider, no matter where they’re at in their driving journey.
Over time, car insurance premiums can sometimes drop – usually by the time your teen reaches their mid-twenties. That’s if they’ve kept themselves a clean driving license and there’re no accidents on their record. So, keep up the conversation with your teen to make sure the benefits of safe driving outweigh the temptation to impress their friends.
9 Teach them what to do if things go wrong
If your teen was to be involved in a collision, the last thing you’d want them to do is panic. Instead, teach them to remain calm, check their surroundings, and call for help. They should gather the information needed – license and insurance details of other drivers involved – and contact their insurance company. Keeping those details in the car means they’re always handy. Lastly, re-assure your teen that you won’t be mad at them – and mean it.
10 Try your best to stay calm
A composed, encouraging parent makes for a less nervous teen when they get behind the wheel. From that very first lesson, you’ve been with them for the ups and downs of their driving journey. Now they have their freedom, it’s about continuing to be there for your teen. Show them how to take care of their vehicle, encourage them to set up for their drives before the key turns in the ignition, and help your teen to understand and follow the rules of the road.
Remember to trust what you’ve taught them. You’ll have been preparing them alongside their driving lessons, or even before they started learning, without even realising. If it helps, you can monitor them with location apps to make sure they’ve arrived at their destination. If your teen allows this, it means they won’t need to call you every time they reach somewhere or leave.
Now they’re free to drive at will, you will come to accept that you have little control over that, but you can trust that you’ve given them the tools to be a careful, confident driver.
