Parents

A combination of youth and inexperience make the first few years for a young driver the most dangerous. During this time they will be at the highest risk of being involved in a serious road traffic collision.

However, as your child starts on this journey there are many things you can to do to help reduce their likelihood of being involved in a crash.

Even before they start learning to drive consider this: Research shows that your children will copy you in your attitudes and actions, this is true from all safety issues from smoking to driving. They have already spent a lot of time observing your driving, so if you use your mobile whilst driving they are more likely to as well. If you regularly drive aggressively so will they. Even if they have seen some 'poor driving' from you in the past make sure they are only exposed to the best driving habits from now on.

Make sure you have the conversation!

Before your child starts to learn to drive you need to have a conversation with them to agree on what restrictions will apply once they pass their test. Many parents contribute towards the cost of getting them on the road for the first time - driving lessons, purchasing a car and insurance to name a few. If you are going to contribute towards the cost you have a right to ask for something in return!

There's useful information about my road safety professionals are calling for a graduated driving licence here. But whether a GDL comes to fruition or not, there are steps each parent and new driver and their passengers can take to ensure their safety. Supporting new drivers in Great Britain

There are also great resources out there to create your own tailored parent/new driver agreement to cover all the main risks as well as others that are more specific to you and your family. RoSPA has a great free example here

RoSPA's Safer Driving Agreement between Parents and Teens

Parents

Make sure you have the conversation!

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