How to work with your parent / supervisor
The keys2drive learning
approach encourages learner drivers to Find Their Own
Way to learn to drive, in order to make it more like driving on
P’s.
This may be a hard thing for you parent/supervisor to trust at
first – they may feel the need to take control of the driving
sessions. You need to find a way to work together, not against each
other.
The free lesson is a good way to
start – it will help you both understand how you can work together
to use the Find Your Own Way approach in your driving
sessions.
Make goals and agree to a plan
At keys2drive, our goal is to help you work with your
parent/supervisor, while aiming to go six months on P plates
with zero crashes. The learning you do to achieve that will make
you a safer driver for life.
Agree on some specific goals to work towards, make a plan
together on how to reach them and refer back to it if things go
astray.
Use your parent/supervisor's experience
New P plate drivers crash far more than other drivers.
This is not necessarily because they don’t have good car control
skills. Generally, it’s because they put themselves in a situation
a more experienced driver would have cautioned against.
You can do better. It is important to acknowledge that your
parent/supervisor and driving instructor probably know a lot about
driving that could be really helpful to you.
Help your parent/supervisor understand what you need
You’re probably willing to find your own way - to make your own
choices and take control of your learning.
Your parent/supervisor might find it hard to let you; they might
think letting you find your own way means throwing you the keys to
do whatever you like. You know different. Talk to them, work
towards a shared understanding and direct them to the Supervisor
Guide for more information on the Find Your Own Way learning
approach.
Tips for communicating with your parent/supervisor
- Tell them that you respect their experience (without adding a
“but…”!).
- Show them you are responsible and prepared to take small
steps.
- Be curious and ask questions.
- If you feel worried say, “When I am in this situation I feel…
because…”
- Talk about how you see things and where your opinion has come
from.
- If you disagree with them, ask where their opinion has come
from.
- Avoid saying things like “I can’t,” or “I won’t.” Use
questions.
Dealing with tension
If tension is brewing in the car, take control by being calm,
positive and assertive.
A lot of arguments and tension come from bigger issues unrelated
to driving, but they pop up in the car because driving can be
stressful. The links below may help you to work things out if the
issues seem particularly difficult:
