Parent-taught drivers

As the publisher of an ebook on defensive driving you may think that I would be totally against parents as driving instructors, but not really. I think if the parent or guardian follows the guidelines I've listed below, then it could work out quite well.

Also, I have written an article on parents teaching their teens, full of helpful information. Just click on the link: http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/parent_teen_instruction.html

• Realize you will need a lot of patience
• Be careful of harsh criticism
• Use a book on driving instruction as a guide
• Also use the drivers handbook provided by the DMV
• Be aware that you have bad habits
• Be careful not to pass these bad habits on to your teen
• If you're not sure about something, don't guess

If you click on the following link you will be able to read about my defensive driving course which includes 3 bonus ebooks. These ebooks will help you immensely as an instructor, and your teenager will learn life- saving defensive driving techniques. The bonus ebook entitled "Pass your road test the first time" is filled with valuable information on passing a road test.

Parent-taught drivers more accident prone

By GORDON DICKSONgdickson@star-telegram.com
Parents may be their child’s first teachers, but they aren’t necessarily good driver’s ed instructors.

Teen-agers taught to drive by their parents are nearly three times more likely to be involved in serious accidents than young drivers taught by professionals, a study unveiled Thursday by the Texas Transportation Institute concludes.

Since 1997, Texas moms and dads have had the option of teaching their kids how to drive using state-approved curriculum, rather than relying upon public or private driving schools.

“What this research means is that the very popular Parent-Taught Driver Education Program may not be the wisest public policy for Texas and is not in the best interest of traffic safety,” TTI researcher Val Pezoldt said in a statement.

“This is not to say that all parents are poor driving instructors,” he said. “But the evidence suggests that without some significant modifications to the program, granting parents the sole responsibility for meeting the education and training requirements of our youngest novice drivers serves neither highway safety, parents nor, especially, young drivers well.”

The study
The institute based at Texas A&M analyzed 1.4 million driver records, conducted a mail survey of young drivers and held teen-driver focus groups. The study was conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and is online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ (keyword “parent-taught”).

What can be done?
TTI recommends tougher parent-taught criteria, training for parents who want to teach their children to drive and road tests for all drivers under 18.
Gordon Dickson, 817-685-3816