With changes to Queensland's licensing system from July 1 2007, parents are being urged to help their learner drivers clock up the required 100 hours of supervised practice.
NRMA Insurance research shows Queensland parents are the most reluctant in Australia to teach their children to drive*.
Nearly 50 per cent of Queensland parents surveyed revealed they had relied on others to teach their young people to drive.
NRMA Insurance Queensland State Manager Brett Robinson welcomed the additional supervised practice for young drivers but added some parents may need encouragement to hit the road with their learners.
“Almost 40 per cent of parents who don't teach their children to drive think leaving it to professionals is better for their children,” he said.
“However, learners need much more experience than most people would be able to accumulate with a driving instructor alone so we encourage parents to help their learners get as much on-road experience as possible.
“We support the Queensland Government's move for learners to log 100 hours of supervised experience, and would encourage learners to reach this with a combination of supervision from parents, professional instructors, or other family members and friends.”
The research also indicated those taught to drive by their parents were more likely to experience a broader range of driving conditions including wet weather, dusk, night time and highways.
To encourage parents to spend more time on the road with their learner drivers, NRMA Insurance is waiving the young driver age excess for learner drivers if involved in a collision, providing they are accompanied by a fully licensed driver aged 25 or older.
“Parents often have more flexibility to supervise their young drivers in unexpected conditions, such as wet weather,” Mr Robinson said.
“You don't want your children experiencing new conditions for the first time when they are newly licensed.”
Additionally, the research revealed fathers were almost 20 per cent more likely than mothers to supervise their children at the wheel.
“It's great to see fathers taking the lead in this area but we encourage parents, where possible, to share the responsibility to help their children gain as much practical experience as possible,” Mr Robinson said.
The research also confirmed supervising a young driver could be stressful for parents and learners, with 45 per cent of learners admitting to arguing with a parent while being taught to drive.
Tips to help parents supervise their learners:
- Role model what you want them to learn!
- If either you or the learner is tired, upset or stressed, reschedule the practice to another time.
- Try frequent, short sessions in the beginning.
- Discuss then demonstrate new tasks before getting the learner to attempt them.
- Start the learner practising on quiet streets, preferably in daylight, before moving onto busier roads and more complex conditions.
- Let your learner proceed at his or her own pace.
- Don't criticise mistakes. Calmly discuss what happened and allow the learner to try again.
- Be positive and offer praise when the learner successfully completes a task.
- Avoid using the radio, mobile phone or talking to other passengers while the learner is practising.
- Record practice sessions accurately in the Queensland Logbook (available from Queensland Transport customer service centres when you obtain or renew a Learners Permit).
Parents who have taught their children to drive
- Queensland
- 53%
- NSW
- 56%
- South Australia
- 60%
- Victoria
- 63%
- Tasmania
- 63%
- Western Australia
- 68%
*Research undertaken by Woolcott Research, October 2006, amongst a representative and statistically valid sample of 1,000 Australians aged 16+.
