Parent Guide
Table of Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 2
Driver Behaviour…………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Where do you begin? …………………………………………………. 3
Parents Influence Driving Behaviour ………………………………………………………. 3
Behind the Wheel ……………………………………………………….. 3
Teen Driving ………………………………………………………………. 4
Guidelines for Implementing Teen Driving Contract …….. 5
Course Content …………………………………………………………… 6
Driver Behaviour…………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Controlled emotional reactions related to driving:……………………………………….. 6
Positive driving attitudes and behaviour: …………………………………………………… 6
Responsible and informed decision-making: ……………………………………………… 6
Respect and Responsibility ……………………………………………………………………… 7
Leadership in promoting safe driving ………………………………………………………… 7
Lifelong learning approach to driving ………………………………………………………… 7
Sharing the Road …………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Cooperative Driving ………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Appropriate communication with other road-users ………………………………………. 7
Attention ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Managed driver distractions …………………………………………………………………….. 8
Managed division of attention……………………………………………………………………. 8
Safe and proper observation skills …………………………………………………………….. 8
Accurate perception of personal limits, abilities, and risk tolerance ………………… 9
Accurate risk-perception …………………………………………………………………………… 9
Recognition and avoidance of collision situations ………………………………………… 10
Identification of potential hazards and effective response to hazards………………. 10
Effective decision-making to ensure safe driving…………………………………………. 10
Graduated Licensing ……………………………………………………. 11
Class G1 ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Class G2 ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
Teen Driving Log ………………………………………………………….. 13
Introduction
Learning to drive is a very exciting time for both you and your teen. It is a long awaited rite of passage that means independence for both parents and teen drivers.
Parents are anxious about their teens behind the wheel. At the same time, you want them to have independence, which quite often means independence for you. Once your teen has achieved their G2 level licence, you no longer need to chauffeur them to all of their sporting or social functions.
Wise parents enroll their teens in Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Courses. Quality BDE provides a foundation for safe and responsible driving and serves as a valuable opportunity to help develop positive driving attitudes and behaviours in new drivers.
The goal of the BDE Curriculum is to:
- Enhance road safety for all road-users;
- Improve the driving competency of beginner drivers;
- Help beginner drivers develop respectful and responsible attitudes toward driving that contribute to the safety of all road users;
- Enhance driver mobility by helping beginner drivers to drive in a confident and safe manner whenever they need to drive;
Driver Behaviour
Our goal is: Driver Behaviour: To develop knowledge, appreciation, and skills related to driver behaviour and how it contributes to safe and responsible driving for lifelong learning.
Teens need to learn to adjust their driving behaviour for different driving conditions.
As a parent, it is important to reinforce some on the content that will be covered in the course. Please see our Course Content page to see some of what will be focused on in the classroom.
Where do you begin?
You are taking on the role of coaching your teen. You need to be prepared and ready.
Know the rules. Brush up on your own driving skills. As a mentor for your teen, you need to be aware of your own driving behaviour.
Parents Influence Driving Behaviour
- Is your driving road worthy?
- What kind of role model are you?
- Do you use your cell phone when driving?
- How would you react seeing your teen using their cell phone while driving?
- Are you an aggressive driver?
Help your son/daughter develop good driving techniques by modeling good behaviours.
Behind the Wheel
- Let a professional teach the first few behind the wheel lessons
- Ensure your son/daughter is competent in all the traffic situations they are about to meet
- Ensure your vehicle is fit and in good working order, ready for the road
- Keep it simple
- Keep practice sessions short and frequent
- Plan ahead
- Select a specific route. Select the right time of day and the right weather conditions
- Stay focused on the task of driving
- Be aware as a co-driver – anticipate
- Give directions well in advance
- Do not have unrelated conversations about family (may change students mood)
- Stay calm
- Be positive – compliment on well done manoeuvres (negative comments can decrease driver’s confidence)
If your teen makes a mistake while driving, stop and discuss it. Talk about what should have happened and what hazard may have occurred from the mistake.
If your teen is doing something you think is incorrect and tells you that is the way they are taught, contact the driving instructor. Ask for clarification. Student drivers have a lot of information to absorb and sometimes misinterpret a direction given by the instructor.
Keep track of the driving scenarios your teen has experienced. Introduce scenarios gradually so they can develop skill. (night driving, rain, snow, heavy traffic, passing, highway). At the back of this manual you will find a driving log.
Teen Driving
The first year of driving is a high-risk period due to inexperience and lack of skill. Students need as much practice time as possible. Don’t take for granted that your teen knows how to drive after a few lessons with their instructor.
If your son/daughter was enrolled in piano lessons, would you expect that they could play a concert after ten lessons and no practice?
Increased skill may lead to over confidence. Safe driving is seeing what needs to be seen and making good decisions.
It is important to evaluate your teen’s readiness to take on the responsibility of driving. Each person has a different maturity level and ability. Do not force your teen if they are not ready.
Talk to your teen
Communication is important. Share newspaper articles about collisions or teen drivers.
Point out potential hazards. Discuss the weather and what role it will play in their driving experience. When they are a passenger in your vehicle, provide commentary as you drive along and explain your decision making process.
Once your teen has successfully passed their G1 Road Test, they are ready for the road, alone! Be prepared.
Bad Habits to watch for:
- Forgetting to signal
- Sloppy turns
- Following too closely
- Not checking blind spot
- Not turning head when backing up
- Accelerating through amber lights
This is a good time to implement a Teen Driving Contract
Guidelines for Implementing Teen Driving Contract
- Be a role model
- Be clear
- Review contract with your teen
- Explain each expectation
- Listen to your teen’s point of view
- Driving privileges given as a result of good school performance and behaviour
- Emphasize consequences for failure
- Be positive
- Emphasize safety
- Expectations for being a responsible driver
- Compliment when expectations are respected
- Responsibility
- Let them know they are responsible for care of the vehicle
- Gas
- Tire maintenance
- Inside cleanliness
- Vehicle damage will be their financial responsibility
- Be Firm and Consistent
- Do not negotiate consequences, have them pre-defined
- Punish each infraction the same way each time it occurs
- Both parents must agree on how to handle any situation that comes up
- Be Fair and Flexible
Your teen needs to develop life long driving habits.
Speed, inexperience, fatigue and distractions are major causes of collisions.
Be sure to discuss these with your teen before they get behind the wheel.
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill
Attitude determines behaviour and is the most important element in defensive driving.
Make sure you and your teen both get behind the wheel with the right attitude.
Course Content
Driver Behaviour
Adjusting driving behaviour for different driving conditions
Controlled emotional reactions related to driving:
- Control over emotions
- potential effects on driver decision-making
- recognizing internal cues and control responses
Positive driving attitudes and behaviour:
- Personal factors and influence
- personal driving values and beliefs
- motives that influence driving
- how motives change under different circumstances
- how values, beliefs, and motives influence attitudes toward driving
- Social factors and influence
- influence of advertising
- societal attitudes towards cars and driving
- influence of other people’s driving habits
- peer pressure and driving
- Resisting negative pressures
- personal value of resisting negative pressures
- resist negative informal pressures
- Resist negative media and commercial pressures
- entertainment media use of driving imagery
- Positive driving attitudes
- driving is a privilege not a right
- overcoming negative motives
- driving courteously
- cooperative driving
- Impact of driver behaviour on other road-users
Responsible and informed decision-making:
- Decision-making
- how formal rules of the road, common safe practices of road-users, and informed decision-making contribute to safe and responsible driving
- approaches to decision-making
- importance of good decision-making
- consequences of poor decision-making
Consistently demonstrate appropriate decision-making
Respect and Responsibility
Leadership in promoting safe driving
- Being a safe, respectful, and responsible driver
- being a leader in safety restraint use and promote it in others
- being fit to drive and promote it in others
- being caring and empathetic towards other road-users
- Conflict avoidance regardless of fault
- respecting other road-users’ safety margins
- avoiding road rage in yourself and others
Lifelong learning approach to driving
- The driver as a lifelong learner
- Factors that contribute to changes in driving skill
- changing motor vehicle technology
- changing driving standards, laws, and regulations
- the aging driving population
Sharing the Road
Cooperative Driving
- Cooperative driving
- sharing the road in a safe and considerate manner
- respecting other road-users
- understanding other road-users’ needs
- passing safely
- space management
- benefits of cooperative and courteous driving
Appropriate communication with other road-users
- Communicating effectively with other road-users
- Habits and attitudes related to effective communication
- consistently communicate driving intentions
- adjusting communication based on observation of the driving environment and other road-users
Attention
Managed driver distractions
- Distracted driving
- distractions inside the vehicle
- distractions outside the vehicle
Managed division of attention
- Managing attention
- switching attention
- divided attention
- focused attention
- sustained attention
Safe and proper observation skills
- What and where to observe and when
- 360 degree vision
- distance scanning
- peripheral vision
- blind spots
- visual obstructions
- limits of observation
- How to observe
- active attention
- shoulder checks
- peripheral vision
- mirrors
- Visual search and scanning to detect potential hazards
- distinguish hazards from typical occurrences
- scanning patterns under all conditions
- detecting potential path deviations
Accurate perception of personal limits, abilities, and risk tolerance
- Different types of drivers
- Dangerous driving
- aggressive driving
- street racing
- personal and social consequences
- legal and economic consequences
- Personal risk-tolerance
- caution versus risk
- judging risk in various situations
- role of overconfidence and under-confidence in inaccurate risk-perception
- risk-aversion in personal value system
- develop rational personal risk preferences
Accurate risk-perception
- Accurate risk-perception
- quick and effective reaction times
- proactive versus reactive driving action
- expectations of other road-users
- consequences of not doing what other road-users expect
- Safe time margins
- Factors that affect driver risk-perception
- driver age
- driver experience
- driving environment
- mental factors
- physical factors
- role of self-control
- need for peer approval
- perception of other drivers
- impairment
Recognition and avoidance of collision situations
- Common collision factors for beginner drivers
- inappropriate speed
- risk tolerance
- risk perception
- inappropriate risk-taking
- driver skill
- driver experience
- peer pressure
- overconfidence
- hazardous driving conditions
- poor attention management
- not looking for hazards
- inability to recognize hazards
- distracted driving
- dangerous driving
- impaired driving
Identification of potential hazards and effective response to hazards
- Potential hazards of driving and effective responses (CC8.ILO5.RT1)
- vehicle malfunctions
- weather/environmental conditions
- road conditions
- vehicle conditions
- distractions inside the vehicle
- distractions outside the vehicle
- other road-users
- unpredictable driving behaviour
- driving error resulting in danger to self and to other road-users
Effective decision-making to ensure safe driving
- Hazard perception, decision-making, and judgment
- Using decision-making skills to drive safely
- evaluate whether or not to drive
- anticipate what might happen
- predict possible solutions
- prioritize situations and solutions
- make appropriate choices under pressure
- identify consequences
- make multiple decisions quickly
- develop a hierarchy of responses to various situations and alternative responses
Graduated Licensing
As of April 1, 1994, all new drivers applying for their first car or motorcycle licence enter
Ontario’s Graduated Licensing System (GLS). Graduated licensing lets new drivers get driving experience and skills gradually. The two-step licensing process takes at least 20 months to complete.
To apply for a licence, you must be at least 16 years old and pass a vision test and a test of your knowledge of the rules of the road and traffic signs. After you pass these tests, you will get a Class G1 or M1 licence and a driver information package for new drivers. You must pass two road tests to become fully licensed.
New drivers earn full driving privileges in two stages and have five years to complete the
program (Classes G1, G2, M2 or M2 with condition “L”) and graduate to a full licence (Classes G, M or M with condition L).
Class G1
New drivers of passenger vehicles learn to drive with six important conditions with a G1 licence. A new driver must hold a G1 licence for a minimum of 12 months before attempting the G1 road test. This time can be reduced to eight months if you successfully complete an approved driver education course. Drivers earn more privileges after passing their G1 road test.
As a G1 driver, you are required to:
- maintain a zero blood alcohol level while driving;
- be accompanied by a fully licensed driver, who has at least four years driving
experience, and a blood alcohol level of less than .05 per cent, in case he/she needs to
take over the wheel;
- ensure the accompanying driver is the only other person in the front seat;
- ensure the number of passengers in the vehicle is limited to the number of working seat belts;
- refrain from driving on Ontario’s “400-series” highways or on high speed expressways
such as the Queen Elizabeth Way, Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway, E.C.
Row Expressway and the Conestoga Parkway;
- refrain from driving between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
Note: If your accompanying driver is a driving instructor licensed in Ontario, you may drive on any road.
Class G2
New drivers must hold a G2 licence for a minimum of 12 months before they can attempt the G2 road test. At this level, you have more privileges because of your driving experience. You may drive without an accompanying driver on all Ontario roads anytime. However, you are still required to:
- maintain a zero blood alcohol level while driving;
- ensure the number of passengers in the vehicle is limited to the number of working seat belts.
Our Graduated Licensing System has been a resounding success in reducing death and injury among novice drivers. Ontario research shows that new teenage drivers are almost three times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious collision when they are carrying teenage passengers. In fact, research shows the more teenage passengers, the higher the risk.
To further protect youth on our roads, effective September 1, 2005: the number of young
passengers that teen G2 drivers can carry will be limited from midnight to 5 a.m. as follows:
- Initially, G2 drivers 19 or under can carry only one passenger aged 19 or under.
- After the first six months, and until the G2 driver earns a full G licence or turns 20, they
can carry only three passengers aged 19 or under.
The passenger restrictions do not apply if the G2 driver is operating a motor vehicle after 5 a.m. and before midnight.
These restrictions will not apply if the G2 driver is accompanied by a full “G” licensed driver (with at least four years driving experience) in the front seat, or if the passengers are immediate family members.
Thirty-one jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. have some form of teenage passenger restrictions in effect.