Thursday 28 March 2024
LIFESTYLE

Putting the kids in the driving seat

One of the most nerve-wracking things you can do is a let your baby drive your baby. Put into simpler terms, letting your kid driving your car can be a mixture of emotions. You want them to have their independence and stop using you as a taxi, but you don’t want your motor to be used as a glorified bumper car. Sometimes there is no option; cars can be expensive, insurance even more so, and you just want them to be confident and relaxed in an environment they’re used to … even if they were previously sat in the back seat.

Get a driving instructor

By looking at a list of reputable driving instructors in your area, you will be able to pass the buck over to somebody who’s got the right insurance to get it fixed should their car end up having more scratches than a cat’s enemy. You’re paying for their patience, their time and their experience – and saving yourself the problem of having to stifle a yelp every time you think you’re going to go headfirst into oncoming traffic. Which, when driving with a 17 year old and having only ever seen them driving around a stolen Ferrari on a computer game, is a completely plausible way of thinking and not erratic at all.

Suck up the insurance

This is the stinger. Insurance for first-time drivers can be well into the hundreds if not thousands dependent on age, location and type of car. Putting your teen on your insurance as a named driver will rarely build up their no-claims bonus, but will be an immensely cheaper option; this will not help them too much with getting a reduced insurance in the long-run, however. Remember – the cheaper the car they will be driving, the cheaper the insurance. Don’t go crazy on their first car if you’re buying it for them, and try and pass on this frame of mind to them if they are buying it – statistics show that one in five new drivers crash in their first year. So, not good for the vehicle and definitely not good for the insurance premium, second and third to it not being very good for the driver. If they’re thinking about a car to impress their friends rather than the practicality of it, remind them how long it would take them to save up for a new one; it’s about getting you from A to B at this age, not the mod-cons within!

Give them trust

A hard one to do, but think back to when you were their age or when you learned to drive; you thought you were more than capable of tackling the challenge. We’re in a generation where we are mollycoddling our kids too much, and sometimes it is for good reason – but give them the freedom in this to move forward and prove you wrong. Then turn the tables as quickly as you can and get back all the lifts you have given them over the years. To the pub!

** This is a collaborative post

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