It’s that time; your teenager has their learner’s permit and wants to get behind the wheel. If you’re among those teaching them to drive, take a moment to review tips for practice success. First, remember to work with one of your older vehicles instead of your new car or truck. Here’s some more advice for guiding your teen through the learning process.

5 Tips for Successful Driving Lessons With Your Teenager

1. Create a Plan

Let your teen know what the day’s driving lesson will entail to avoid surprising the inexperienced driver. Talk about any features worth noting, such as speed bumps on a specific road or a particular turn with several blind spots. The more you prepare your teen, the easier it will be for them to react on time.

2. Build on Previous Lessons

Start slow, such as driving around a local parking lot before moving on to residential streets in quiet neighborhoods. As your teen becomes more used to driving, graduate to busier residential roads and highways. Try something different during each lesson, such as practicing parallel parking one day and changing lanes the next.

3. Stay Calm & Patient

Avoid yelling at your teen or showing frustration in any other way. It will only upset the youngster and increase the chance of accidents. Plus, negative reinforcement and jittery nerves can make them scared to drive. If you are calm, they will be too.

4. Ask Questions

Deal with mistakes in question form to maintain a calm demeanor. If your teen blows through a stop sign and nearly misses hitting the neighbor’s new car, for example, ask whether they saw the sign and the other vehicle. Getting your teen to explain their mistakes makes it clear what they did wrong and helps them remember how to do it correctly next time.

5. Give Proactive Instructions

Refrain from shouting “Turn here!” or “Move over now!” when your teen needs to make a specific move. This helps avoid frustration and potentially dangerous driving. Let them know about directions ahead of time, such as saying “We are going to be making a right on Main Street” or “In two blocks we will hit a blinking red light and need to stop.”

If gifting a pre-owned or new car to your teen is part of your driving lesson plans, find the perfect vehicle at Pat Kaiser’s Christiansen Motors Inc. Serving drivers throughout Audubon, IA, since 1970, this family-oriented car dealer always follows up with customers. Call (712) 563-4241 today to schedule an appointment, or browse the used and new car inventory online.