/Public/Driver Education/Driver Education Curriculum/Parents Teaching Teens To Drive

7/12/07

PARENTS TEACHING

TEENS TO DRIVE

PRACTICE IS ESSENTIAL Any skill requires PRACTICE to become as

perfect as is possible. We know that a driver’s license is no

guarantee of safe driving behavior. All of us require coaching by an experienced

person that we respect, in order to guide us in development of new skills.

The best person to guide us in driving can be a parent, an older sibling, a grandparent, aunt, uncle or neighbor.

THE COACH IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE A DRIVING INSTRUCTORAll teens should receive some

type of formal education and training.

However, no textbook will ever replace actual time on the road, behind the wheel.

GEORGIA REQUIREMENTS Senate Bill 1, of 2002, titled the Teen

Driving Safety Law specifies a minimum of 40 hours that include 6 hours at night.

Additionally, parents and/or guardians must VERIFY under penalty of perjury that these minimum requirements have been met.

JOSHUA’S LAW As of January, 2007, all 16 year-olds

MUST complete a STATE APPROVED driver education course.

This is in addition having completed the Teen Driving Safety Law (previous slide).

Those teens that do not complete Joshua’s law must wait until age 17 to be eligible for a driver’s license.

DEVELOPING SAFE DRIVING SKILLS KNOW THE FACTS BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL TEACH, DON’T PREACH EXPECT MISTAKES CHOOSE THE BEST MANAGE THE VEHICLE THE NEXT STEP

DEVELOPING SAFE DRIVING SKILLS – Part Two You are encouraged to study Teen Driving

& Vehicle Safety information that is available from various sources such as state agencies, insurance companies, etc.

Create a CONTRACT with the teen, yourself, and those licensed drivers that may act as his or her coach. Clearly define the rules, expectations, and practice session skills. Above all, have each participant agree or “buy into” the total contract and the completion checklist.

KNOW THE FACTSCause of deaths of teen drivers?Motor Vehicle CollisionsDriver’s deaths in the U.S.A.?About 42,000 in each yearTeen driver deaths in Georgia?About 300 each yearTeen crash likelihood, time of day?After school, and on weekend

nights

KNOW THE FACTSCause of death or crashes?SpeedingPeer PressureDistractionsUnruliness and/or Number of

passengersSeat belt useBrain development*

YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL

Quiz Time!

WHAT NOT TO DO Fail to practice with your teen Put off or ignore Approved Driver Training Imply that getting a license is simple Imply that getting a license is difficult and

takes years of study Say nothing, so that the teen doesn’t know

if they are doing well or not Scream, tense up, or jam the imaginary

brake

TEACH, DON’T PREACH 1 Develop a plan and include it in the

contract Drive it yourself (alone) first Keep sessions short, but frequent Stop early if the Teen or you become

fatigued or stressed Take it all seriously

Schedule carefully and stick to it. Eliminate all distractions and unrelated

conversation

TEACH, DON’T PREACH 2 Communicate clearly, one step at a time

Delineate instructions when parked off the road Identify vehicles by Color, use the word “Correct”,

and directions by Right/Left. Reward good performance and praise often Remain calm and keep a sense of humor Listen, listen, and listen some more On the session’s completion, ask for

student’s evaluation. Compare his/hers to yours

EXPECT MISTAKES Do not critique with the vehicle in motion,

pull off the road frequently to review performance.

Common mistakes to be prepared for are: Failure to keep safe zones around the vehicle Poor lane and/or speed control Nervousness and difficulty in steering Avoiding and/or anticipating mistakes by others Difficulty in doing a blind spot GLANCE

Reinforce safe driving practices and behaviors throughout all sessions

CHOOSE THE BEST DRIVING SCHOOL Visit the school, meet the staff Check the accreditations, licenses,

parent and student evaluations Review the curriculum, logical

sequence of lesson plans from class to “in-car”.

Develop a Parent/Instructor relationship in the evaluation of student progress.

MANAGE THE VEHICLE Practice in the vehicle the student will

eventually drive solo

Select the safest vehicle (not necessarily the “coolest” vehicle) for your teen.

Remain consistent with whatever vehicle is used.

THE NEXT STEP Into the parking lot with your student.

Note: An alternative to a parking lot could be a RESIDENTIAL STREET with extremely low density traffic AND open lines-of-sight

Do not move on to the next more complicated skill until you are confident that the teen has mastered the basic skills.

Give the teen a chance to improve their new skills by driving routine errands and other family outings.

AFTER THATI. Create a new “You Are A Licensed Teen

Driver” Family Contract. Include:

A. Driving safety incentivesB. Additional earned freedomsC. Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act

(TADRA) lawsD. Graduated LicensingE. ViolationsF. Safety belt utilizationG. Alcohol/drugs/DUI

CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS II. Consequences of offenses/collisions

A. Loss of privileges B. Financial, legal & insurance responsibilities

III. Interpersonal relationship damage control

IV. CurfewsV. Clock time and vehicle use specificsVI. Teen peer culture expectations

/Public/Driver Education/Driver Education Curriculum/Parents Teaching Teens To Drive

7/12/07

PARENTS TEACHING

TEENS TO DRIVE