Lessons from a Highly Prepared Driving Student

We recently had one of the coolest things ever happen at Safe Driving Coach. A new student brought some questions to her first lesson. Now, having questions is not unusual. We hope all of our driving students have a lot of questions, because that means they are thinking about the whole process and not just expecting to be spoon-fed instructions.

What was different about our new student, Alyssa, is that she wrote down her questions on a 3X5 index card! Talk about old school! I was thrilled to see how prepared she was for this lesson. This is the perfect example of how our Safe Driving Coach cars are classrooms on wheels.

How Do Teens Prepare for a Driving Lesson?

In the school classroom, preparing for a test starts long before the student sits down at their desk. Before that moment, there’s all the instruction time, review, and study guides. The teacher will handle a lot of those aspects, but there are student expectations as well. If a student wants to be prepared for a test, they need to start with a willingness to learn. From there, they have to show up to class with their assignments done, pay attention to the teaching, take good notes, study, and make sure they can apply the knowledge.

A student’s test scores are usually a pretty good indicator of whether or not they took responsibility to prepare for the test - starting all the way back at the beginning with that willingness to learn. The same principles apply when it comes to driving lessons.

Our strongest students are prepared from the very first day of lessons. They are ready to go when we arrive at their pick-up location, shoes on and permit in hand. They have a few questions in mind about technical or legal aspects of driving. They are in listening mode, and they ask great follow-up questions. They are thinking about the final test, which is the driver’s license test, and they want to be fully confident in it.

These are the students who always get the most out of their lessons. We coaches always do our part with the instruction time, repetitive practice, review, and commentary questions. But there is a noticeably higher degree of understanding and skill mastery in students who are fully engaged in each lesson.

To help your teen driver prepare for driving lessons, whether they are with you or with one of our coaches, encourage them to think of a few questions before the lesson. When they ask spontaneous questions during your drive time, acknowledge it! Say, “good question,” before you begin your explanation. If you have an opportunity to practice the specific skill they reference, go for it. 

We Are Always Preparing for the Real World

I have mentioned this many times before, but today’s teenagers are often very unprepared for the real world. They have grown up with constant supervision in everything they do. They can also navigate much of the world through devices, which drastically reduces their need to prepare for learning. Their school assignments are contained within a computer, so they don’t have to remember or write them down. They can Google any question that pops in their mind. They haven’t had to figure out many problems or situations from start to finish completely on their own. There has been an adult there for almost everything they have ever had to do.

Driving starts out that way, of course. A responsible, licensed adult driver has to be there in the car to teach every teen how to drive. But the adult can’t do the driving for them. And the adult is not going to be there next to them forever. Once they have their license, they need to be able to safely drive a car independently. This is a real-world responsibility!

Getting prepared for the driver’s test takes a lot of engagement on the part of the student. They have to have the information stored in their own brain and be ready to apply it. But there’s so much more to it than that test. Safe driving skills are intended for a lifetime of alert, defensive driving. Students who have this long-term view of being a safe driver are usually the most prepared for their test. That means they take their lessons seriously and ask thoughtful questions.

These students are interested in the details and the what-if scenarios. They are genuinely curious, and they think ahead. As we exercise the skill of having conversations while driving, they get faster at asking questions off the top of their head. Something that my coaches and I really enjoy is building a rapport with teen drivers and witnessing their development in areas like active learning and decision making. Our students are on the verge of adulthood, and the process of learning to drive is integral to growing their maturity.

Encourage Your Teen Driver to Prepare for Driving

If you find yourself having to give your teen a list of instructions for most tasks, it’s time to push them into more independent preparation. A good way to start this is to mention something that’s coming up, then asking them what they need to do to be ready for it. Ask additional questions to get them thinking about steps they might have missed.

Here’s an example:

Parent: Your driving lesson is coming up in an hour. What do you need to do to be ready for that?

Teen driver: I guess I need to set an alarm so I’m ready to go when they get here.

Parent: Okay, what does it mean to be ready?

Teen driver: I should probably have my hoodie and shoes on so they don’t have to wait for me.

Parent: Good, and what does every driver need to have on them in order to legally drive?

Teen driver: Oh right, I need to have my permit. Can I get that out of your car now?

Parent: Good thinking. And don’t forget, you were asking me about inching up at the stop sign yesterday. That would be a great question for your coach during your lesson.

Teen driver: Yeah, I want to make sure I have that right. I’ll bring it up. 

It might feel more efficient to just give your teen a list of things to do to get ready, but it’s time to get them thinking on their own. Practicing more of these preparation skills now will set your teen driver up for highly effective driving lessons, and a whole lot more.

Is your teen driver asking enough questions when you’re coaching them through practice sessions? If not, try to get the ball rolling with conversational questions of your own. If your teen is really struggling to take initiative with questions, go ahead and assign them to come up with at least three for every lesson. Eventually, they will get more curious on their own. Need help setting the tone for lesson preparation? Check out The Parent’s Survival Guide for New Teen Drivers. My course is a great tool to help you get prepared! 

For more skills training, consider Safe Driving Lessons with one of our coaches. Whether we are getting your teen behind the wheel for the very first time, or we are making sure they are fully prepared for their license test, our lessons are customized for every student. Our professional coaches are prepared to work with teens at all levels to help them become lifelong safe drivers.