While you’ll probably feel proud of your child for passing their driving test, you may also worry for their safety. It’s natural, as driving is a high risk activity, and young, newly qualified drivers are the highest risk category of anyone.
So what can you do to help your child stay safe?
Keep them on a tight leash at first
Your child may have a head full of plans of places they want to travel. Yet many of these will need to wait until they have more experience.
Consider restricting how far they can travel, how long they can drive for, what time of night they can drive till and how many people they can take in the car.
Remind them that driving is a privilege not a right
Your child does not have a right to borrow your car, and they don’t have a right to hold a driving license. Sometimes it is better for everyone to tell them they can’t take the car, just as sometimes a judge may decide it’s best for everyone to suspend a person’s license.
To retain their license they will need to drive sensibly, and you can extend that condition to borrowing the car.
Don’t be afraid to check up on them
Your child’s first journey behind the wheel shouldn’t be with a carful of other teenagers but with you. That way, you can check their driving for yourself. Ask them to give you a lift somewhere if you want to make it less obvious.
Despite your best efforts and those of your teenager, an accident could still occur because another driver may not be taking sufficient care. You may need legal help to show that just because your child is new to driving doesn’t necessarily mean it was their fault.
