{"id":71,"date":"2015-06-12T17:21:04","date_gmt":"2015-06-12T16:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.ingenie.com\/parents-guide\/?p=71"},"modified":"2015-06-12T17:21:04","modified_gmt":"2015-06-12T16:21:04","slug":"how-do-you-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ingenie.com\/parents-guide\/how-do-you-drive","title":{"rendered":"How do YOU drive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re probably a safe driver - after all, you've had decades of experience. But a few bad habits can creep in and become second nature, and they\u2019re very easy to pass on to your children.<\/p>\n\n

Be honest: do you ever use your phone when you\u2019re sat in traffic? Do you race to beat the lights? Steer with one hand? <\/p>\n\n

The impact you have on your child\u2019s driving future is huge. It\u2019s not just about helping with driving practice, paying for lessons and then handing over the keys - although you\u2019re a saint for doing all that. Your child starts learning to drive long before they\u2019re 17, and what they learn is down to you.<\/p>\n\n

A recent survey by Goodyear found that parents spend an average of 3 hours and 34 minutes in the car with their children each week. That's a whole lot of time you're showing your child how to drive.<\/p>\n\n

Lead by example<\/h2>\n\n

Studies have shown that even very young children are aware of and affected by adult behaviour. Did you see that video of the baby who watched a CPR class<\/a>? He crawled over to the dummy and mimicked what he\u2019d seen. <\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s how learning to drive begins: it\u2019s a bit of a scary time, so what does a young driver have to rely on? Their parents\u2019 example. Consciously or not, a learner repeats their parents' driving habits - habits the parents may not even know they have.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s fairly fundamental that you don\u2019t swear in front of your young children because you don\u2019t want them to repeat bad words. Driving is exactly the same: if you don\u2019t want your child to become a dangerous or aggressive driver, you need to avoid showing them these behaviours in your own driving.<\/p>\n\n

Tips for the lead-up to driving lessons:<\/h2>\n\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Take a good look at how you drive<\/h3> \n

    Are there any habits you wouldn\u2019t want your child to repeat when they start learning to drive? Get rid of them now! As driving lessons loom, they will start watching you even closer than they have for the last 16 years.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n

  2. \n

    If you can, try driving commentary<\/h3> \n\n

    When you\u2019re in the car together, explain what you\u2019re doing, like giving way and stopping or slowing at lights and crossings. This will give them some good grounding for lessons and their theory test preparation. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n

  3. \n

    Don\u2019t be tempted to start \u2018teaching\u2019<\/h3> \n\n

    Driving instructors are trained to teach people to drive, so leave it up to them. Just keep up an ongoing discussion about driving, without making your own method seem like \u2018the right way\u2019. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Next:<\/strong> Find out how to begin the learning to drive process before your child starts lessons<\/a>.<\/h4><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    You\u2019re probably a safe driver – after all, you’ve had decades of experience. But a few bad habits can creep in and become second nature, and they\u2019re very easy to pass on to your children. Be honest: do you ever use your phone when you\u2019re sat in traffic? Do you race to beat the lights? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":34,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-before-learning-to-drive","before-learning-to-drive"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n