What to Consider When Teaching a Family Member to Drive

Teaching your teenage children to drive, or even your spouse has always been a popular way of not only saving money on expensive driving lessons, but also as a way of bonding. No? Ok, it’s a good way of saving money at least, or it should be.

If you’ve got a family member or friend who trust your driving skills enough to ask you to consider teaching them to drive, then you should feel honoured, but it doesn’t mean you’re obliged to do it. Teaching someone to drive can be time-consuming, costly for you, and at times, emotionally draining. Before you say yes, here’s what you need to consider 1) The legal requirements. To teach someone else to drive you must meet a few criteria •  You must be over 21 •  Be qualified to drive the vehicle you are teaching in (i.e. for a manual car, you must hold a manual license) •  Have held your full driving licence for a minimum of three years Please see the DVLA website for more information 2) The expense to you. Driving lessons from Mum or Dad may well be cheaper than from a private driving instructor but that doesn’t mean they come free of charge. You need to consider the extra petrol costs, insurance, and the wear and tear on your car. You will still also need to budget for the tests – both the theory and the practical need paying for – and it may take more than one attempt at each. Speak to your insurance company to see how much it would be to add a learner driver to your car insurance. It might work out as economical to pay for a private driving instructor after all. 3) The time. Do you have the time to teach someone else to drive? Consider your work patterns and when you would actually find the time to get out and about with your driving Padawan. It’s not fair to start off going out a couple of times a week and then having work or other commitments take over. Learning takes regular practice, and leaving big gaps between driving lessons can be detrimental to the learning process. It’s helpful to draw up in advance when you can realistically fit in the lessons. Consider the time of day and what the conditions may be like. If you’ve only got time in the evenings for lessons, then you may need to wait until the dark nights of winter are over before you get started. 4) The emotional commitment. Teaching someone anything is a fulfilling but potentially stressful situation. Add to this that they’re in control of your pride and joy and possibly your only means of transport, and the stress gets even higher. Is your relationship likely to survive this stress, even if it is temporary? Do you remember reality TV stars Maureen and Dave Rees from ‘Driving School’ in the 90s? How are they still married? Or even alive? 5) Kit out your car. All you really need are a set of L-plates (D-plates if you live in Wales). You must make sure they are of the approved size. You can get magnetic ones, stick-on, or tie-on, but you should remove them when the car isn’t being driven by a learner driver. You can change to green P-plates for a new driver, though these are not compulsory. A dashcam could be a useful addition as they will record your journey and it could be useful to go over any issues or incidents later with your learner, as well as helping with any insurance claims. L-plates must be a regulation size, but fear not – you can buy them ready made cheaply enough from the high street or online. Image from www.Gov.uk 6) Don’t neglect the theory. Your learner will need to pass the theory test and a hazard perception test before they can take their practical so you need to find resources to get them up to speed. There are free resources and practice tests on line, or you can buy them a book. You really should at least get hold of the most current version of the Highway Code, and make them read it! Teaching someone else to drive can be hugely rewarding but a big commitment. If it’s something you don’t feel you have the skills to do alone, then just being available to help a learner driver practice between lessons with an instructor could be a huge benefit to them, and help them save money by reducing the amount of lessons they need to pass the all-important driving test. However, passing the test is just one step on their journey as a responsible car driver, not the goal. You can do a great deal to help your new driver become a good driver by providing support in the early years too. You could encourage them to think about a scheme such as Pass Plus which will improve their driving and possibly reduce their insurance premiums. Want to get your children on the road to being a good driver earlier? Read our tips on getting your young children engaged with motoring