Want to get out of the house when the coronavirus restrictions ease? Why not leverage your driving experience and become a Learner Driver Mentor?
The TAC L2P Learner Driver Mentor Program assists young people who need help to get their minimum driving hours done and obtain their licence. The City of Casey currently needs more volunteer mentor drivers to keep up with demand.
L2P mentor, Margaret Caffyn, shared the following insights into helping young people learn to drive:
How I help young people learn to drive
With beginning learner drivers, I stick to less trafficked times, like early Saturday or Sunday.
Industrial areas with wide streets and little traffic are good for new drivers, especially those that are nervous.
In the early stages, I stuck to local streets but occasionally you must be flexible. Most of the L2P program learners have basic skills by the time they are handed over to us mentors, but I had one learner that was not very confident.
Luckily, we found a new, mostly uninhabited estate nearby. We stuck to these empty streets for six lessons while she worked on her steering.
Main roads work well: they are busy enough for learner drivers to get used to traffic, but we can keep the manoeuvres to a minimum.
Once they’re not as nervous and have good steering control, we go further afield. I like to give a driver as much experience as possible, so usually pick a different route each week. However, if they struggled with a particular area or manoeuvrer, we’ll repeat that next time.
I teach them parallel and angle parking. I had to relearn these skills myself. I can park—but suddenly I had to explain how to do it. To help with this, I asked a professional instructor to show me how they teach learners to park.
Once my learners’ skills are good enough, we practice getting on and off a freeway. People use freeways a lot, so they need to be confident on them.
When my learners have up to 70 to 80 hours of driving experience, I include both city roads and country drives.
Highlights of the Program
I have met someone wonderful people, both other mentors and learner drivers, and the program has reminded me how sheltered and lucky my life has been. My very first learner lost her mother when she was six and her father when she was eight; she missed out on many of the opportunities I took for granted.
L2P mentor volunteering has helped me to keep busy in my retirement and brings a sense of achievement. The program gives me an opportunity to help those whose circumstances make it difficult to get a licence. I know that the ability to drive will give them schooling or employment opportunities that would otherwise be difficult for them to access.
Margaret Caffyn, Volunteer L2P Learner Driver Mentor
To learn more, or apply to volunteer, visit our L2P learner driver mentor program page.
The TAC L2P Learner Driver Mentor Program is a joint partnership between VicRoads and the Transport Accident Commission, supported by the Victorian Government. The program is delivered by the City of Casey and is proudly supported by Berwick Motor Group.