4 Reasons To Think Twice About Having Your Parents Teach You To Drive

Bugging mum and dad to teach you how to drive? You might want to read this first.

This article is presented in partnership with Platemate.

So! You’ve finally got your Learners plate and are raring to start your driving lessons. Maybe you’ve already begun to bug mum or dad about taking their car for a spin. We’re sure your parents are fantastic drivers, but you might want to hold back on that request until you’ve had a good think about what you’re really asking.

The fact is, when you go behind the wheel, even the coolest and most collected of parents may begin to freak out. And that’s probably not the best environment in which to learn the rules of the road. Though many consider it a rite of passage, here are four reasons why you should think twice about letting your parents teach you how to drive.

• Your parents may not be up with the latest road rules.

  If your parents are just 50 years old, they likely got their licence in the early 1980s. Well, the rules have changed quite a bit in the 35 years that have passed. Consider the humble roundabout, a relatively new inclusion in Australia. Though we’re sure your parents have figured out how to navigate roundabouts over the years, they may not be able to explain all the legal ins and outs you need to know for your eventual driving test, and, more importantly, how to ensure you’re protected from the law while driving around on your P plates. (Have some sympathy for our American cousins, whose only interaction with roundabouts before their introduction in the 1990s was this scene from National Lampoon’s European Vacation).

• You might not save as much money as you think.

  According to the Australian Taxation Office, operating a small, 1.6 litre car costs around 65 cents per kilometer (taking into account all your vehicle running expenses). You’ll need to only drive for a little over an hour – at around 60km/h – to equal the $50 you would have paid a professional instructor anyway, and that’s not counting the hour and a bit of your parents’ time that’s also been spent.

• Your parents might get… emotional.

  There’s always the possibility of bringing too much baggage to a driving lesson with your mum and dad. They may understand and sense your nervousness on a primal level, and begin to feel nervous themselves. That’s not ideal for your confidence. They may think that appealing to you “emotionally” (this is a nice way of saying, “losing their temper”) is the best way to convey the road rules. That, too, could make the experience a less than positive one. Or, you may both be in a bad mood from a previous argument. Not an ideal headspace to be in while learning to drive either.

• You might get fined for not having the right plates on.

  The last thing you or your parents need is the $240 fine and demerit points that come from absent-mindedly forgetting to pop the L plates on when you go for a drive. At least a professional instructor holds the responsibility of always featuring them unobscured when you're behind the wheel.

Now, none of this is to say that your parents can’t teach you how to drive, or that you need to go to a professional instructor. However, before you agree one way or the other, have a frank and honest conversation with your folks, in which everyone admits how they’re feeling about either scenario, and come to an agreement on what suits you all best.

No one knows you like your parents, and no one knows your parents like you do. In the middle of a tense driving lesson, that can be precisely the problem. But, beforehand, your close relationship is an absolute advantage, which will ultimately help you to learn how to drive safely and legally, one day, all on your own.

Platemate is Australia’s ridiculously sticky plate for Learner drivers and Provisional drivers. Student Edge members can get 2 for 1 L and P plates by heading to platemate.net.au.