Parental tip: Professional driving lessons make your children better drivers

With requirements for Learner drivers more strict than ever, it's important that those driving with an L-plates experience as wide a range of driving conditions as possible. It's true also that learning from more than one licensed driver can be a huge benefit to anyone learning to drive, and for this reason, if you have been the main instructor of your child, you may want to boost their learning through professional driving lessons.

Why get professional driving lessons?

Let's face it: sometimes families don't bring out the best in one another. If you have found yourself blowing up while teaching your teenager, you're certainly not alone. Unfortunately this can add to both of your stress levels and affect your child's confidence.

Professional driving instructors do not have the same relationship to your child that you do, and for this very reason alone they will react differently to any mistakes your child may make. In addition, they are trained to calmly teach methodical ways to check for hazards, assess safe driving speeds, indication and reaction times and prepare them for the test with well-worn knowledge of what it entails. What this means is that your child will be taught driving procedures that will become natural to them in a shorter space of time.

Additionally, although it's not required, professional driving lessons are looked favourably upon by the issuing authority. Instructors must be fully trained to be certified instructors, so your child's driving assessor will know that they have at least had some of that professional knowledge imparted on them.

Should my kids only have professional lessons?

There's no reason for your child to only have professional lessons, and indeed they can also learn a great deal from you. The main idea is to get as wide a range as possible from the greatest number of licensed drivers, and this includes you. In most states, your child will have to log driving hours in all kinds of weather conditions, traffic conditions and times of the day, and this just isn't practical if they only go with a driving school. For many people, the cost would just be prohibitive anyway.

A good idea is to make a bulk booking of lessons with a fully accredited driving school. Many offer a range of deals that include discounts for five lessons or more, offer the use of their car for the driving test and often guarantee a first time pass or the second test will be free.

Defensive Driving: Will your child need it?

While this is not an essential course to pass a driving test, many parents who have sent their child to a defensive driving course highly recommend them for young drivers. These courses, run by groups such as Roadcraft and Murcotts, will teach you child about how cars behave in slippery conditions, preventing accidents and many other important driving skills. These courses aim to broaden the driver's perception of their surroundings, and play an important role in avoiding hazards.