If you’ve been in our Parent Class you know how important it is for parents to model the behavior they expect from their teenagers when driving. Unfortunately, too many parents subscribe to the “do as I say, not as I do” rule of parenting, particularly when it comes to driving, and I am here to tell you it doesn’t work.
9 times out of 10 when I ask parents what are their concerns or worries when they think about their teenagers being out on the roadways, their responses include distractions and more specifically cell phones. Everyone is worried about the teenagers that are texting and driving, but when I am in a class with my students and I ask them how many of them have parents that are still talking and/or texting on cell phones, many of their hands go up. If you have a child that is learning how to drive, I can’t stress enough how important it is that the adults in their lives, particularly their parents, provide good role models. Look at the photo included with this article. How safe is this mom’s behavior for that child in the backseat? What message are we giving to our very young children when we engage in these behaviors?
In the January newsletter I wrote an article regarding the standards that are being considered in the state of Arizona. The standards the state is considering adopting are based on the ADTSEA (American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association). These standards, similar to those developed by other organizations such as NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Association), all include a parental component. The research shows just how important the parental role is in the process of preparing young drivers. Too often, however, parents don’t have the time, or expect that because their student is in training, they don’t have to participate in the process. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Any skill that we as human beings develop, requires practice and driving is no different. Training is important in the development of proper techniques but it cannot alleviate the need to do the practice required. Why is it we don’t question it when coaches require their athletes to be at practice 2 hours a day 7 days a week, sometimes more because they have to be ready for the game, but when it comes to practice driving, there is no time. When you decide to allow your teenager to begin the process of learning how to drive, you have to make it a priority in the scheme of things. This can’t be the one thing that falls off the table because they, or you, are just too busy. Will they be able to pass a test that requires them to handle a vehicle – probably, but will they be able to make good decisions and judgements when it matters – probably not. Is that really what you want for your child?
I'll be keeping this in mind when I have kids that are driving. I don't want to show them that being on the phone while driving is a good idea. Distracted driving gets people into bad car accidents. http://www.wallacedrivingschool.com/lessons/