So your child is ready to hit the road. It’s a brave, new (terrifying) world for most parents when that day comes. Are you ready to handle the responsibility? Do you know what you want to tell them about how to be safe, how to look after their car, and what to do in an emergency?

Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered with this handy guide on the most important points that you should consider sharing with your child as they embark on this journey.

Here are our main points, but you feel free to add or remove anything to the list that suits you and your child.

Get Out There Soon

We all know to start out in an empty parking lot so you can let your kid try their hand at accelerating, braking, using turn signals, checking blind spots, and parking. But what you want to do pretty soon after this, is head out there (on a quiet street) to give them a taste of the real road.

The Road Rules

Who among us knew all rules of the road when we first started out? None of us. And for the most part, it took most of us a long time to become familiar with the laws governing our roads. So give your child a helping hand by talking them through the rules and explaining the consequences of breaking the law.

Steer Them Towards A Great Instructor

On the point of knowing the strict rules of the road and teaching these to your child – you might want to consider investing in professional lessons. These are the experts who are well versed in the standard rules of the road and can help your child become a confident and safe driver, capable of applying K53 rules and passing their driving test.

Walk The Talk

None of us perfect and we’re all guilty of exceeding the speed limit by a little (or a lot) but a lot of how children learn is tied to the example they see in front of them. With that in mind, make sure that you’re demonstrating good driving habits when you’re behind the wheel.

A Crash Course In Basic Maintenance

You know what makes a person vulnerable on the road? Not knowing how to solve minor issues with their car that leave them stranded on the side of the road, waiting for someone to come along and change a tyre or the oil.

To that end, before you hand over the keys, your child should be able to change a tyre, check tyre pressure and fluids, read their gauges, and top off other fluids.

What To Listen Out For

We all know that our eyes need to vigilant when we’re on the road, but not many people realise how important their other senses are. Teach your child to keep their ears alert to emergency vehicle sirens and ‘funny’ noises that could indicate worn brake pads, broken CV axles, a dead battery versus a bad starter, etc.

They should also never ignore their noses if they’re picking up any strange smells.

Those Emergency Procedures

Does your child know what to do if they’ve hit a pothole and things feel wobbly? Or what their reaction should be if they feel the car skid on a patch of water or ice? Prepare them with advice (never brake in a skid, just in case you’re wondering) and an roadside emergency kit.

Practice Practice Practice

Even with lessons, your child still needs a lot of practice to become comfortable and confident. Also, we urge you to plan your practice times and routes ahead of time so that you don’t find yourself in an unnecessarily stressful traffic situation.

Feel informed?

We hope that this information helps! Don’t forget that AA Inform is home to a range of useful tools and resources. Not only can you use our website to calculate your fuel consumption for specific trips but you can also use the AA Insurance Supermarket, an insurance brokerage that provides you with multiple car insurance quotes from reputable insurance providers to choose from.

After all, the last thing you want is to have your child driving around in an uninsured vehicle.

Click here to visit the AA Insurance Supermarket.