Teaching a Teen to Drive

Did I tell you about the time my daughter was learning to drive? She earned her drivers permit and took drivers education through her high school. She learned to drive using an automatic drive vehicle. They taught her to drive on the freeway. So my daughter had no fear of the freeway nor how to accelerate from the off-ramp and onto the freeway.

One day I was helping my daughter log in her hours on the road. We practiced in large parking lots after hours. I had my limits, I would not allow her to take me onto the freeway. My nerves could not handle that much activity and a driver in training. She did well but we had one problem she was having with her driving technique. Each time we made a right turn, she would accelerate. I said all you have to do is continue at your normal speed and complete the turn if the way is clear. I even showed her how to make the right turn.

Without a doubt, she would hit the gas every time she entered a right turn. It like riding with the the "Dukes of Hazzard" whenever she made her turns. One day out of the clear blue she began driving like a professional driver. I felt she was a safe driver. I did not have to remind her not to accelerate in her turns. She was a good teen driver.

Some time later we were driving down the city road and enjoying ourselves. We came to a traffic light that had just turned yellow. And just ahead of us was a city bus on the right off-loading passengers. And on her left was a big rig. For some unknown reason, my daughter instantly hit the gas. She accelerated between the bus and the big rig at a high speed. I screamed, "what are you doing? Slow the car down!" She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I admit I did loose my cool and grew several gray hairs in the process. She slowed down the car and proceeded to once again drive within reason.

I was a back seat driver in the front seat.

As I think about the situation, she was in the right to do what she did. I was not prepared for her quick acceleration. I never took her out driving from that day forward. I think she earned her drivers license soon after the incident. I over reacted to the whole thing.

After my daughter earned her drivers license her dad wanted her to show him what she could do. He asked her to her demonstrate her skills and take him on a test drive. She drove him all around town. He felt she demonstrated safe driving skills. He then asked her to take him on to the freeway. She had no problem with his request. The problem was the time of day he chose to test her freeway driving skills.

My daughter proceeded down the off-ramp that led to the freeway. She was accelerating as she approached the freeway. She saw the approaching double big rig. She accelerated even more. At the moment her of acceleration her dad reverted to puberty. He screamed at the top of his voice, "don't hit that big rig. Slow down." Again my daughter looked at him. She had seen the double rig. She had adjusted her mind for it and proceeded to enter the freeway. She had no problem with the freeway entry nor the big rig. But her dad never again asked her to demo her driving skills.

Often times parents over react to teen driving skills. Amazon.com has books that help teens and parents survive teen driver training. Check out the books below.