Teaching your teen to drive made easy
It can be scary to think of your teenager on the road, but it’s easy to give them a full kete (kit) of skills to help them become a confident, capable driver.
Unfortunately, 16-24 year olds are over-represented in road casualties, despite huge reductions in the past 10 years. Young drivers make up 13% of licence holders but represent 30% of serious injuries on our roads, and more than 25% of fatalities.
Our research also shows that young drivers are more likely to crash in their first six months of having a restricted licence than any other time in their life, as they don’t have the experience of an older driver. That’s where you, the parent, guardian, or coach, come in.
Young drivers represent
They also make up more than
Learning to drive can be a stressful and nerve-wracking experience, not just for the learner but for the parent or coach. ACC and Waka Kotahi have developed an online hub with all the tools learners and coaches need to get through the learning process together, and with your relationship intact!
Drive is primarily designed to help young people become confident, capable drivers, and provides clear guidance throughout their journey from before they get their learner’s licence to fully licensed. However, parents and coaches can take advantage of lots of hints and tips to take all the stress out of teaching someone to drive.
Drive for parents and coaches – making the teaching process less daunting
Teaching the reasoning behind movements and habits you’ve been doing unconsciously for years, with your teenager behind the wheel for the first time, is undoubtedly a hard thing to do. Drive makes this process fun for both learners and coaches, with specific coaching resources to ensure a positive coaching experience.
The resources have been designed with driving experts, so you can feel confident knowing that the information is right. With videos ranging from how to plan a lesson to how to parallel park, you can work with your young driver to get them fully licensed together with Drive.
Learn more about Drive and view the coaching resources available.
Take your coaching to the next level
- Plan your lessons beforehand using the resources on Drive.
- Make sure you know what ‘good’ looks like, as it’s much easier to set up your learner to do things properly from the start than trying to correct any ‘bad habits’ just before the restricted test.
- Don’t make lessons too long.
- Make sure instructions are clear and early.
- Expect mistakes – they are an essential part of learning.
- Practice driving in all conditions, including rainy days, on the motorway and at night.
- If possible, sit in on a lesson with a professional driving instructor if you can, not just for the benefit of your young driver but for yourself as well.
Drive is one of the ways ACC demonstrates its commitment to Road to Zero, which sets out a strategy where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.
ACC works with our partners, such as the Ministry of Transport, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, NZ Police, WorkSafe and local government, to reduce the number of severe road crash injuries and deaths in Aotearoa.
