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PRESCHOOLERS BEGIN DRIVER’S TRAINING
Do you have a teachable moment?
If you would like to submit your teachable moment to the Lisa Johnson Foundation, please email to Teachable Moments
“We do a seatbelt roll call when we get into the car. We wait to hear each person say “clicked” before we drive away. It has gotten to be such a routine that if I haven’t said “clicked” as fast as my kids think I should, they ask if I forgot!” -Carol, AZ
Preschoolers across the world begin driver's training with the most influential driving school they will ever be exposed to. The name of the school? Their FAMILIES. No driving instruction is more influential than the year-by-year training that a child observes, obeys and is shaped by within their environment.
- OBSERVATION
- OBEDIENCE
- COMMUNICATION
- TEACHABLE MOMENTS
OBSERVATION
Yes, more is caught than taught! After hours, days and years in the backseat of a vehicle, a child has already observed what is important to the driver. It is always easier to prevent dangerous habits from forming than to try to correct them later.
Obedience is a clear understanding of who are the leaders within the family. If a young child learns to respect their parents, they will more likely transfer that respect to other adults (including the laws that adults have established). Loving discipline of young children, including consequences for wrong choices, sets the stage for safer teen drivers later.
Some of the best communication opportunities for families take place in their vehicles. Asking questions, listening to the dialogue of the others in the vehicle, finding humorous moments through jokes or music. It is a perfect opportunity to set the foundation for good communication in the years ahead.
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
Teachable moments are unique opportunities to discuss driving safety with a child.
Example: a car with many teen passengers is stopped next to a vehicle filled with a young family.
PARENT: “Do you think that the teenagers are having fun?
I wonder if they have their seatbelts on? What do you think?
What about the teenagers in the backseat? That’s when they often don’t wear a seatbelt.
The backseat is actually the most dangerous place to NOT wear a seatbelt, did you know that?
Why do you think someone would not wear a seatbelt?
What would you say to them?"
Example: a vehicle speeds past a family who is driving within the speed limits.
PARENT: “Wow- did you see how fast they were driving? How fast do you suppose they were going? Let’s look at the speed limit sign coming up to see how fast they were supposed to be driving on this street. Help me look for it. I bet I’ll find it before you do!!”
Example: a parent wants to promote awareness of pedestrians and cyclists along the road.
PARENT: “I need your help. Kids, bikes and motorcycles are a lot smaller than our car. Tell me when you see one and I will be extra careful around them. Let’s play a game. Let’s see if adults or kids spot the most pedestrians and motorcycles while we are driving. I see one, do you?!”