The Parent's Role : How To Get Involved

You Can Help Your Child Be A Safe Driver

There are several things that you, as a parent or guardian, can do to reduce the chances of your child crashing in the first months and years of their driving career.

Drivers with more experience are less likely to have an accident. Taking your learner on frequent practice sessions, to support their professional lessons, will help them build up experience in many different road and traffic conditions. This will help them pass their Driving Test, but crucially it will also help them to be a better, safer driver after the test.

The more private practice that your learner takes, the more experienced they become, and the less likely they are to crash.

Make sure that the private practice is co-ordinated with their professional lessons - talk to the instructor and work together.

Also, remember to set a good example in the way you drive. It is much harder to convince a young person, if she or he sees that you do not practice what you preach.

Safer Attitude and Behaviour

Attitude and behaviour are also important factors in ensuring that young drivers make safe choices on the roads. If a driver makes frequent risky decisions or ignores the hazards around them then they are more likely to be involved in a crash. You should make sure that your son or daughter understands the dangers of the roads.

There are resources available which help schools promote safer driving. RoSPA have produced Road Safety resources for Key Stage 4 pupils which are designed to link in with other areas of the curriculum. You can ask at your school if this, or a similar resource, is being used.

Road Safety in Citizenship CD: Key Stage 4
An education resource linking directly with the Key Stage 4 Citizenship agenda. It includes teachers notes and student sheets on Learning to Drive or Ride, Drink, Drugs and Driving, The Impact of the Media, and Passenger Safety.