How to Help Your Kid with First School Driving Season

After your child is done with driver education classes in Wichita, KS and has their driver’s license, they no longer have to rely on you or a bus driver to go to school. Those first couple of weeks can be nerve-wracking as a parent. Even though your kid did pay enough attention in driver’s ed to pass their classes, teens still have the highest crash rates in the nation. You never know when they or some other new driver who goes to the same school will behave in some way that makes them dangerous to everyone on the roads. Here are some ways you can help make those first few weeks go smoothly:

Show Them Different Routes to School

Students can get nervous during their first month of driving to school because they are driving alone with no one telling them directions on how to get there. Before the new school year starts, drive with them to school and show them all the routes they can take to class. Have them be the driver so they can have an easier time remembering the streets and so you can observe how they behave on the road before offering further critiques.

After a few tests and showing them a few different routes, see if they can drive to school without you telling them where they need to go. If they still need some time to do so, you may need to continue dropping them off and picking them up, but try making them drive to the destinations when you do so.

Make Sure they Get Up on Time

Since your teen is at least a sophomore or junior by the time they get their license, both of you should know by now how long it should take to get to classes. Now that they control when and where they want to go on their own, they might get overconfident and try to leave later now.

While it is an especially important time for them to get sleep, you still need to enforce getting out of bed at a certain time so they can get ready before getting out of the driveway. Their driver education classes in Wichita, KS, emphasized how important a driver’s mentality is before they turn on the ignition. If they are in a rush to get to class, they may overlook some crucial safety features and make risky maneuvers on the way to school. In case you can’t be there in person to wake them and move them along, call or text them at a certain time to check in on their progress.