How to be Heard by Your Teen When Teaching Driving Skills

One of the biggest impacts that you will leave on your teen child is helping them when it comes to their driving skills. Teen driving safety is of utmost importance on our roads and can have a huge impact on your personal life. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it has been found that a total of 2,715 teen drivers died in crashes in 2015 alone. Teen drivers are at special risk on the roadways, which is why it is important to be able to communicate correctly with them in regards to their driving, to learn skills necessary to stay safe.

Being Heard by Your Teenager

When you want to be heard by your teenager, one of the best things that you can do is to ask questions to involve them in every aspect of the driving process. For instance, if they make a small mistake or answer something wrong, ask them, “What did you think about that?” to receive their input. This will give you special insight into what your teenager is thinking about as well as make them into a more thoughtful driver.

You should also stay calm and set aside concerns. You may feel upset because of something that happened or something that your teenager did not hear, and you may feel inclined to portray this message in a negative fashion. Being angry does not help the situation, especially the most dire circumstances. This will prevent you from being able to have open and honest conversations in the future. You should dedicate all of your time to your teen when they are learning to drive, as this is the most important factor at present. Lead them by example and show them what to do and what not to do in the best ways.

How to Help Build the Driving Conversation

The most teachable moments are those that are done in the right moment. Talking while teaching a teenager to drive may be a great way for some parents and teens, as it is seen as less nervewracking since you aren’t making eye contact but you also have to focus on matters at hand. When you can ease driving safely into a conversation without bringing the matter up by itself, the conversation will flow much more smoothly. Your teen is sure to be excited about driving, so they will listen.