Parent's and co-drivers guide

Gone are the days when you had five or ten lessons and passed your test. The roads are much busier, junctions and roundabouts more complex, and the test itself a lot harder. Learning to drive can be an expensive business!

Many learners take driving lessons with a qualified instructor, and practice in their own car. This can often be the ideal way to prepare for the driving test.

However, accompanying a learner can be a difficult experience. If you don't plan what you are both going to do, problems can arise.

Here are some top tips to keep both of you safe, happy, and on the straight and narrow:

The learner

• Must be at least 17 years old to drive a car.
• Must have a current provisional licence for the correct category of vehicle.
• Must be able to read a number plate at 20.5 metres.

The accompanying driver

• Must be at least 21 years old.
• Must have held a licence for at least three years for that category of vehicle (e.g. if you have an automatic licence, you can't sit in with a learner in a manual).

The car

• Must be legal and roadworthy.
• There are specialist companies who will insure learners to drive for short periods such as Young Marmalade.
• Should be clean and well maintained - this is a good excuse to show the learner how to check the tyres etc. and get them to wash your car for you!
• Will be different from the driving instructors - it will take time to get used to the differences.

The place

• Find somewhere quiet to start - maybe where the driving instructor took your learner on their first lesson. It will take a while for your learner to get used to your car. They will find this much easier if they don't have to worry about difficult junctions and impatient drivers.
• Plan routes. Try not to drive around at random. Use routes which suit the level of experience of the driver. Plan what to do if the driver stalls.
• Repeat routes: going around the same few junctions repeatedly can help the driver become confident. Constantly being presented with new junctions they don't know is only really suitable for an experienced learner.
• At the very early stages, big empty car parks can be perfect, and a lot less stressful for both of you. But please remember - insurance is still a must, even in a car park.

Teaching skills

• Your car won't drive like the instructor's - no two cars drive exactly the same. Your first objective is to get your learner familiar and confident with your car.
• Agree a set of ground rules. Remember, you don't have dual controls! Try not to shout "STOP!" at the driver, but agree that if you tell them to stop, they will. Maybe you have seen something they haven't.
• Get a mirror: one of those suction stick on ones from Halfords will be fine and won't break the bank. You really need to see what is going on behind.
• Expect the driver to make mistakes! They will. If you feel yourself getting stressed, pull up and take a few moments to relax.
• Don't expect the driver to brake or change gear independently - at the early stages you will have to tell them!
• Try not to carry passengers if possible. If you are a couple with young children, this may be difficult, but anyone in the back seat is a distraction.
• Give directions early and clearly - remember they haven't got your years of experience.
• Stop frequently. Relax. Talk about how things are going.
• Encourage the driver to talk and ask questions. Tell the learner that there are no stupid questions. If they don't know how to put the seat belt on - show them how. (Even if you think they should know).
• Expect the driving instructor to do things differently to you. Think of all the people you know who drive, and there will surely be huge differences in their driving styles. We can't all be right.
• Make it fun. Relax. Enjoy the time spent with your child / partner / friend / relative.
• It's a learning process for you too. Take time to get used to sitting with your learner. Rome wasn't built in a day (apparently).

The instructor

• Ask their advice about places and techniques. They should be only too pleased to help.
• Sit in on lessons. You may be surprised at how well your learner drives with their instructor. You might pick up a few useful tips and ideas.