Teaching Parents How to Teach Those Young Aspiring Drivers

How do you teach teenagers how to drive safely? Jim Schmidt thinks the key might be teaching parents how to teach teenagers how to drive safely.

Jim is the director of motor vehicle safety programs at Howard Community College. Four years ago, the school started a program to teach people how to drive motorcycles. A year ago, they decided to make the leap from two wheels to four. But rather than focus on young drivers, Jim and company decided to focus on their parents. Said Jim: "They have a lot of anxiety about teaching kids to drive, and they don't have the skills and knowledge to do it."

With funding from the Feds and the State of Maryland, Jim has spent a year developing a curriculum, a process that included convening focus groups of 17- and 18-year-olds. Jim asked them: What is it like being behind the wheel with mom or dad in the passenger seat? What tips do you have for parents?

"I was really surprised how seriously kids took the whole thing and how adult-sounding their comments were," Jim said. "They're nothing like we assume them to be about this. They really do take it seriously."

Here are some of the observations that came up again and again in the focus groups:

-- Don't act scared or nervous. It just makes us scared . . . and nervous.

-- Tell us what the plan is before we leave. We want to know what we'll be doing.

-- Be supportive. When you give specific positive feedback, it helps.