Sunday, March 23, 2008

Tip For Parents Of New Drivers

This is a tip I personally found was an excellent and necessary thing to do when my kids learned to drive. It should save you and them frustration, gas, and hopefully avoid a logistical nightmare.

DON'T LET THEM GET OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT THE KEYS IN THEIR HAND.

You know how you let them drive to school, they get out and leave the car running, you just slide over and drive home? Or wherever you're going next? Don't do it. Make them park if you have to, but don't let them out without the keys. It's not a habit they have yet, they aren't used to making sure the keys are in their hand. Make it a nuisance for you and for them. It's got to be trained into them, made into an automatic habit. Otherwise, you know you'll get that call from them late at night sometime, "Mom, I locked the keys in the car. Can you come get me?" Even having a spare in their purse or wallet may not work, some people don't always carry those. They need at least a month of ALWAYS having the keys in their hand when they get out of the car, they can hand them back to you through the window but don't let them get out of the car without them!

3 comments:

Angie said...

I've been driving for many years now and I just recently locked my keys in the car.
What a terrible morning that was! Yikes!

Anonymous said...

Luckily for me, my car can't lock without a key - this has been such a lifesaver!

Anonymous said...

Ooh... this is a GREAT tip. My eldest will be taking driver's ed this summer (it seems they're starting earlier now!) and I don't even want to THINK about him driving.

But that's gonna get me nowhere fast, and even if he'll only be 14 next month, this momma better face the music.

lol - love this tip - thank you much!