If you’re a parent with teenagers, maybe you’re looking forward to teaching your kids to drive. Perhaps you’re dreading it. Either way, your teens will reach the point where they’ll probably want their license. That means you must teach them how to navigate the streets safely as new drivers.
You might spend time teaching your teen how they should behave in various situations when they’re on the road. However, you should also teach them about parking lot safety. If you don’t, you’ll soon learn the answer to the question of why hire experienced parking lot accident lawyers if your teen backs into a pedestrian or another vehicle.
Let’s talk about ways you can make sure you’re teaching your teen the best possible parking lot safety etiquette.
Talk to Your Teen About Driving Responsibilities
First, before you ever get in the car with your teen, you should sit down and talk to them about what you expect from them. Maybe you plan to give your teen your old car and get a new one. That solution means they’re not constantly asking to borrow your vehicle when they get their driver’s license.
Perhaps you can’t afford to do that, and you’ll only let your teen driver borrow the car whenever you can spare it. Either way, you need to let them know that they must take driving seriously. That means they must obey all traffic laws when they’re out on the road, but they must also watch out when maneuvering a car in a parking lot.
Stress how many accidents happen in parking lots. Make sure they realize that even if they’re not driving fast at all, they can still hit another vehicle, pedestrian, dog, or cyclist if they’re not paying attention or they’re showing off for their friends.
Spend Some Time in Empty Parking Lots with Them First
Once you feel confident they have the right attitude about driving in parking lots, you can find an empty one and practice there. If you go to a church or some other religious entity’s parking lot on a day when there’s no services, that might work. You could also find a parking lot of a business that’s closed. Just make sure when you let them take the wheel for the first time that you don’t see any other cars in the immediate vicinity.
Have them watch you put the car in reverse and back up with it. Let them see what you do with your hands, feet, and eyes. If you have an older vehicle with no rear backup camera, they can watch you turn around to see what is behind you. They can watch you use the rearview mirror and your side mirrors as well.
If you have a newer-model car with a rear backup camera, they can watch you use that. Go slowly, and narrate what you are doing. You can play driving instructor. You might even find you’re enjoying the process. You’re passing on your knowledge, and there’s nothing more responsible you can do as a parent.
Let Them Practice Backing Up with You in the Car
Eventually, after they’ve watched you back up the car both from the passenger’s seat and alongside the vehicle, you can ask them whether they feel comfortable getting behind the wheel and giving it a try. Maybe they’re nervous, but you can say you’re right there with them, and you can talk them through it.
You must let your kids become adults at some point, and this moment might stand out years later. It’s a milestone and one you may both cherish when you look back on it.
Let them put the car in reverse and practice backing up. You might do this several times. Have your teen act like there’s a car on either side of them that they should avoid hitting.
This way, they can learn spatial awareness. You might even stand in the space beside them and have someone else stand in the space on the other side to mimic vehicles. If your teen has a sibling or you’ve brought along your spouse or partner, they can stand in the other space and help direct your fledgling driver’s movements.
Get Some Traffic Cones and Practice in Your Driveway or On the Street
Once you feel like your teen has made some progress, you can get some traffic cones and set them up in your driveway or on your street. At this point, your teen should know how to go through the movements when backing out of a space or putting the car in drive and moving forward if there’s no vehicle blocking their way in the space ahead of them.
You might have your teen practice parallel parking with traffic cones. Not as many individuals can do it these days, but drivers should still know how.
You’re Ready to Let Them Try It in a Busy Parking Lot
Finally, you’ll reach the day when you think you’re ready, and your teen feels the same way. You might head to their school parking lot now to see if they can back up or drive carefully around the lot with other cars and students nearby. You may also try a busy mall or movie theater parking lot.
If you see that your teen did well, you can congratulate them. They’re one step closer to getting a driver’s license. Just give them one last pep talk before you move on to other driving skills.
Tell them they should never show off for their friends by backing up too fast or letting someone in the passenger’s seat or the backseat distract them. They should also not adjust the radio or use their smartphone while maneuvering the vehicle in a parking lot.
If they seem to have the right attitude, you can trust them and hope for the best. You may feel nervous the first few times they’re behind the wheel, but they’ll soon become more proficient.