Should I be Teaching my 13 year old to drive....?

Scania

Scania

Scania

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Well, actually she's nearly 14 (20th October)....

In a nutshell, I want to teach my daughter to drive, starting as early as possible as I did with my Dad back in the day.

Obviously, she can't drive "properly" for a few years, but she keeps asking me if she can have a go - and more to the point, she can reach the pedals properly now (no stretching!)

Where would be the best place to do this? I'm thinking of a closed retail park or industrial estate thats on private roads i.e. not covered by the R.T.A.

Should I inform my insurers even though she won't be on the public highway?

Is this even a good idea I ask myself? - my Dad clearly thought so in my case, but that was about 25 years ago!

I have an aged crumbly e36 Automatic, so I'm not too bothered if she manages to dink it - but would prefer she did not!

Or should I leave this to the professionals? (ok I am a professional driver, but not an instructor...)

Any thoughts appreciated.
 
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Don't tell your insurers, all they'll do is say no.

With doing it in a car park, if it is accessible to the public highway (i.e. it's not behind closed gates) then technically the usually driving license etc is needed. This didn't stop me and my mum going to a small industrial park of an evening before I had a provisional, I was nearly 17 and the car had L plates though, so we just looked like any other learner.

What you ideally want is a driveway though.

Also, it'd be much better in a manual, there's not really a lot she can learn in a carpark in an automatic, half of the initial learning is to do with the clutch.
 
My dad taught me to drive when I was 13, down veeeery rural roads in Spain. Remember it clearly 17 years later. Was an old Fiat Ritmo, abosolutely loved it and pretty much meant I was ultra-comfortable on my driving test 5 years later.
 
Let her have a go where theres no car, retail park, industrial estate as you said.
 
I don't really see the benefit? At 16, yes but anything you teach at that age is going to be long forgotten by the time she reaches legal driving age. Not worth the risk IMO, you're better paying for a day of twin engine karting or something!
 
If the private road or estate is publicly accessible then it is covered by the RTA.

I learnt to drive at a very young age, but it was in a field. I was just left to it though - my Dad just told me what to do. After that, I used to go over the field and drive my little metro around quite regularly.
 
Cheers for the replys.

I started driving sat on my Dads knee reversing his automatic Granada out of our then very tight driveway, and it stayed with me for years! - I was about 9 when this happened!

I know of a few private ind estates where you have to gain entry via a gated security entrance, so theres little chance of meeting other traffic - already spoken with said security guards and they had no issue - my thinking is the earlier she gets familiar with vehicles, the better....

Incidentally, when she was about 9 I used to frequently sit her on my lap and let her steer my artic around the depot I worked at - on a Sunday with nobody around - she was surprisingly good coping with a 45ft trailer!!!
 
Yeah start them early, my dad took me driving in his land rover when i was 12ish on some waste ground i also had motorbikes from an early age so when it came to learning to drive properly at 17 all the mechanical stuff was second nature such as gears and clutch control.

I also enjoyed driving my dads caterpillar tractor a few times in my early teens!
 
iaind said:
I don't really see the benefit? At 16, yes but anything you teach at that age is going to be long forgotten by the time she reaches legal driving age. Not worth the risk IMO, you're better paying for a day of twin engine karting or something!
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Letting them have a go just saves them whining, wait till you have kids :)
 
Yeah let her have a go somewhere very quiet.
Good one on the lorry driving! Would have loved that as a kid!!
 
DiamondMark said:
Letting them have a go just saves them whining, wait till you have kids :)
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Undoubtedtly, kids are something I fear though, they make too many noises, messes and smells for my liking.

I'd rather put a few bob towards some proper karting or a 4x4 experience day, they'll remember that longer than driving an old BMW around an industrial estate :)
 
Morba said:
Yeah let her have a go somewhere very quiet.
Good one on the lorry driving! Would have loved that as a kid!!
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My ex-wife went Ape-Poo when she found out - even rang up my employers to complain! - so that put an end to that! - Miserable bitch! :p
 
iaind said:
Undoubtedtly, kids are something I fear though, they make too many noises, messes and smells for my liking.

I'd rather put a few bob towards some proper karting or a 4x4 experience day, they'll remember that longer than driving an old BMW around an industrial estate :)
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Of course do the karting too, but at least letting them have a go saves you being "miserable dad" :)
 
Find a quiet industrial estate on a sunday and somebody will have a unit with a carpark thats technically private land and nice and empty.

I think its a great idea.
 
Go karting is different though, mentally the kids know it's just 'fun'. But to drive 'daddys car' is a big mental boost for them :)
 
I reckon something like that would make them forget about wanting to drive a normal car for long enough. Hell, it gives me a rush, would have loved that at 13.

Just my 2p though. But given I've almost entirely forgotten how the reproductive process works, my opinion should probably be ignored!
 
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