I bet when you were a teenager, you couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel and learn to drive. I know I was eager to be a driver like my parents! It used to be that was a right of passage for teenagers: a milestone of independence. These days, though, a bigger milestone for some teens is when they get their first smartphone!
If your teen isn’t champing at the bit to drive, it may just be they don’t feel the pressure to pass that milestone. It could also be that your teen recognizes that driving has a great potential for danger. If that’s why your teen is a little hesitant to drive, then here’s a little tip to get her past that nervous anxiety.
Spend some extra time in the parking lot. It really is that simple! The parking lot is the safest place for you and your teen to practice her driving skills, which will help her get comfortable behind the wheel of the vehicle. You can’t stay in the parking lot forever, but if your teen gets good and comfortable behind the wheel, moving the vehicle, then there will be less for to be nervous about when it comes time for driving in the neighborhood with other vehicles on the road.
Watch this video to see Patrick Barrett, the Driver Education Guru, explain more about how to get your nervous teen ready to drive.