Learning to Drive? a GUIDE for Parents: Everything You Will Need and Want to Know
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3rd Edition 2012/13 Is your chIld learnIng to drIve? a guIde For Parents: everythIng you wIll need and want to know Sponsored by: ® drive well, pay less ©driveiq 2012 www.driveiq.co.uk INTRODUCTIon From the author: 1 in 5 will have I’m not a driving instructor looking for business, or a a crash in their first company trying to sell you insurance or a car. I am a 12 months of driving parent, who also happens to be the CEO of a community ‘‘ interest company (not-for-profit) which provides free and and road crashes potentially life-saving, computer-based driver education for young people and their schools. are the main cause Over the past 7 years I have dedicated my time to of death for young understanding the road safety industry and the problems and dangers surrounding young drivers. My team and I will people aged 15-24 stop at nothing to ensure that mums and dads are spared the pain of a child being killed or seriously injured in a car crash. The wheels of government move slowly and a number of ’’ their official recommendations are already lagging behind the innovations that some private companies are making. contents This is why I want to share with you everything I know, so you can make informed decisions when it’s your child’s Safety checklist 03 moment to sit in the drivers seat. Young drivers – Why are they so 05 Never forget, driving is probably the riskiest thing a at risk? teenager will do. 1 in 5 will have a crash in their first 12 months of driving (post-passing their test) and road Drive iQ 09 crashes are the main cause of death for young people Drive iQ at School/College 11 aged 15-24. Thankfully there is much that can be done to reduce this risk. Better education has the power to save Provisional licence application 13 lives. So please join the ever growing army of parents who How to choose a driving instructor 15 are using the resources of Drive iQ to make their children safer drivers. In-car lessons 17 If you need to contact me or have feedback about the Drive iQ PRO 19 guide, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Expert opinon 21 Best, Private practice 23 sarah rowley, ceo a2om cIc Booking tests & post-test 24 [email protected] Your community 27 @Drive_iQ Introducing Drive iQ ambassador, 28 www.driveiq.co.uk Sophie Morgan T: 01483 604019 Young driver insurance 29 Choosing a first car 33 Tyres 36 RoadSafe for Parents 37 UN Decade of Action 38 The a2om CIC (pronounced “atom kick”) is a Community Interest Company (100% not-for-profit) dedicated to saving young lives through better knowledge and education for novice drivers and their parents. The a2om CIC distributes Drive iQ into school/colleges/ communites for free. 01 Better educatIon wIll helP to save lIves • There is a physiological reason why young people so why Bother to make poor judgment calls behind the wheel read thIs guIde? • Young people these days face even more distractions when they drive than ever before. No time to read? then check out our • Pretty much every recommendation in this guide podcast at: www.driveiq.co.uk/parents is for a free resource that could make all the difference. • Not all driving instructors should be driving instructors! how will you choose yours? only have 2 minutes to spare and just want the bare bones? (see pages 3 and 4) • There is a bit of a postcode lottery for the provision of local road safety initiatives and programmes. find out what is available in your area. • 1,901 people were killed on uK roads in 2011 - The first rise in figures since 2003. 430 of these this guide will help parents make informed fatal crashes involved a young driver (aged 17-24). ‘‘choices about every aspect of their child’s driving • In the same year, 23,122 people were seriously journey, from applying for a provisional licence injured and 178,927 slightly injured. to passing their test, buying a car, insurance and ultimately, driving into the future as a safe and • Much of the advice available about this subject competent motorist. concentrates on different interpretations of the problem. this guide is about tangible solutions ’’ that will have a positive effect straight away. edmund King President, AA • It is estimated that 19 out of 20 crashes are contributed to by poor attitude and behaviour, not lack of vehicle handling skill. • teenagers are the most vulnerable group of road users and passing the driving test provides little protection from danger. 02 your saFety checklIst: If you aren’t so interested in the why, but just want to do all you can to ensure your child will be a safe driver for life… on your marks… testIng…testIng… drive iQ – free brain-training for 16+ year olds. The first time pass rate for the practical test is only Attitude & behaviour skills before they even think around 40%...and tests aren’t cheap - £31 for the about the technical stuff. theory & £62 for the practical (£75 if you want one at the weekend/evening). Get instant access at www.driveiq.co.uk Booking Tests – Made easy for you on page 24 get set… your child can’t start their in-car lessons without a YOUR FIrst CAR provisional licence. choosing a first car. go with your head, not your heart. Application made easy for you on page 13 or go to: www.gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence Check out our guide on page 31 or at: www.ingenie.com go pRO… choose a drive iQ PRO driving instructor, because I could Buy a new CAR they deliver the most comprehensive training in For that! town (and in the country)! young driver insurance can be very expensive. Don’t settle for less. It costs the same. Just gives more. Consider telematics insurance... the better they drive PRO instructors are from major driving schools such as the less it costs and the safer they will be. AA & RED, plus hundreds of independents nationwide. Find yours at www.driveiq.co.uk/students See page 29. PractIce makes PerFect… Post match FItness make sure you have: provisional licence insurance / l 1 in 5 crash in the first year of driving plates / lesson plans & nerves of steel! (post-passing their test). Make it count. The government suggests they do Post Test Training – is included in Drive iQ PRO. 20+ hours of private practice. Spare your nerves and Otherwise think very seriously about some night-time your wing mirrors by looking at our Private Practice and motorway lessons. for Parents Guide – see page 23. It complements the Drive iQ PRO programme. Find out more at: www.driveiq.co.uk/parents 03 the FInIshIng lIne… almost! the most dangerous time for a young driver is the It’s never too first 1,000 miles. A “stage managed” approach to this critical time is early to start essential to give a young driver the best possible Be a great role model protection and start as a solo driver. The highest risk for young inexperienced drivers is when they drive at night, on rural roads, with don’t rush THEM passengers (especially other teens), on motorways and at weekends. to test BeFore they are ProPerly PrePared suggested aPProach: 1st 1,000 miles – chaperoned drives with an experienced driver. Practice the high risk drives under your supervision. Evidence suggests this approach encourage dramatically reduces crash risk. the Parents oF theIr FrIends 1000-5000 miles – Solo driving - No passengers, No to do as much as you are phones (even handsfree) 5000-10,000 miles – only 1 passenger, No phones (even handsfree) don’t Put them In an old car that may not afford enough YOUR ACTION = THEIR PROTECTION ProtectIon if the worst happens you can find out more about every item on this checklist in this guide. use telematIcs to Protect them and save money set guIdelInes For when they drIve wIth FrIends. ensure your chIld knows all the legal stuff Insurance, tax, MOT etc. 04 the dIlemma Most parents are acutely aware that the riskiest thing their teenager will ever do is get behind the wheel as a solo driver, not to mention be driven by their peers. statistics do little to lessen this anxiety – in 2011; 430 young drivers (17-24 year olds) were involved in fatal the teenage Brain car crashes. so where do we start? By understanding what goes on in a teenagers head. (yes, it is possible)! most driving experts tell us that driving is a complex task. You need to learn far more than just technical skill to stay safe, ideally the frontal lobe of the brain (the part over an extended period of time in a graduated way. responsible for anticipating danger, emotion, impulse, eye movement and assessing risk etc.) doesn’t fully steve stradling develop until a young person is around professor emeritus, edinburgh napier university. the age of 25. Skill at Driving is Necessary but not Sufficient. Skill Deficit + Attitude Deficit = Unsafe Driving Error + Violation = Crash When you know this, it is easy to understand why so many young drivers come unstuck. most young people want to be safe and good drivers, yet are Add to this the fact that 19 out of 20 crashes are keen to pass their test as quickly as possible, and more often contributed to by poor attitude and behaviour, than not don’t want to do anything above the bare minimum rather than lack of vehicle handling skills and the to get a licence and get out on the road.