Teaching Your Teen To Dive: Objective # 1 - Establish a Pre-Diving Routine
"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine" ~ Mike Murdock
Those parents who have had an automobile to themselves for years will probably have to scrape some of the rust off when it comes to a pre-driving routine. After all, once you've adjusted the driver's seat and mirrors on your vehicle the first time, how many times have you had to re-adjust them?
If your oldest child is now embarking upon her first adventures in driving you will soon be changing your routine once she begins practicing in your car.
Remember the 'circle check' from your days as a driving student? Hopefully you've been doing this as a matter of course since you were sixteen years old, but let's review this and all the other things you should do before take-off. You know - just in case you've gotten into the habit of merely jumping into your vehicle and dashing off because you're running late.
Step 1 of the pre-driving routine has the driver circling the vehicle to ensure that the tires aren't low on air and to clear obstacles such as toddlers, bicycles, land mines, concrete blocks and the like out of her intended path of travel. Yeah! Now, you're remembering.
Step 2 - The driver enters the vehicle and locks the doors - you don't want to be yanked out of your vehicle by car-jackers. Do you?
Step 3 - The driver adjusts his seat. Now that your teen is going to be driving your car and adjusting the seat to fit his specifications you're going to have to readjust every time you want to drive - sorry.
Just make sure your child does this correctly. His right foot should reach the pedals comfortably with his legs slightly bent. He should be able to keep the heel of his right foot on the floor and operate both the accelerator and the brake pedals. The steering wheel should be a minimum of 10 inches from his chest.
Step 4 - The driver adjusts the head restraints. It should be positioned directly behind the middle of her head.
Step 5 - The diver adjusts the mirrors. Make sure the kid does this after adjusting the seats - not before. The rear view mirror should set so he can look through the entire back window. The left side mirror should give him a level view down the left side of the vehicle.
Step 6 - Fasten safety belts and shoulder straps.
Step 7 - Driver checks passenger safety. Whoever is driving should make sure passengers lock their doors and buckle in.
Step 8 - Check the ventilation. Adjust the heat, air conditioning, or airflow before driving. The fewer adjustments the driver has to make when dealing with traffic the better.
So there you have it - a quick review of what the driver should do before hitting the road. With practice both you and your teen ought to be able to complete this ritual within 30 seconds.
If your oldest child is now embarking upon her first adventures in driving you will soon be changing your routine once she begins practicing in your car.
Remember the 'circle check' from your days as a driving student? Hopefully you've been doing this as a matter of course since you were sixteen years old, but let's review this and all the other things you should do before take-off. You know - just in case you've gotten into the habit of merely jumping into your vehicle and dashing off because you're running late.
Step 1 of the pre-driving routine has the driver circling the vehicle to ensure that the tires aren't low on air and to clear obstacles such as toddlers, bicycles, land mines, concrete blocks and the like out of her intended path of travel. Yeah! Now, you're remembering.
Step 2 - The driver enters the vehicle and locks the doors - you don't want to be yanked out of your vehicle by car-jackers. Do you?
Step 3 - The driver adjusts his seat. Now that your teen is going to be driving your car and adjusting the seat to fit his specifications you're going to have to readjust every time you want to drive - sorry.
Just make sure your child does this correctly. His right foot should reach the pedals comfortably with his legs slightly bent. He should be able to keep the heel of his right foot on the floor and operate both the accelerator and the brake pedals. The steering wheel should be a minimum of 10 inches from his chest.
Step 4 - The driver adjusts the head restraints. It should be positioned directly behind the middle of her head.
Step 5 - The diver adjusts the mirrors. Make sure the kid does this after adjusting the seats - not before. The rear view mirror should set so he can look through the entire back window. The left side mirror should give him a level view down the left side of the vehicle.
Step 6 - Fasten safety belts and shoulder straps.
Step 7 - Driver checks passenger safety. Whoever is driving should make sure passengers lock their doors and buckle in.
Step 8 - Check the ventilation. Adjust the heat, air conditioning, or airflow before driving. The fewer adjustments the driver has to make when dealing with traffic the better.
So there you have it - a quick review of what the driver should do before hitting the road. With practice both you and your teen ought to be able to complete this ritual within 30 seconds.
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