Few things prepare an adult for the pleasures of teaching a teen to drive. But in the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to hand the car keys to three of my daughters.

Here’s some of the important consumer tips I’ve learned:

• Make sure you explain the difference between the gas pedal and the brake. Repeatedly. Otherwise, your treasured vintage car is likely to end up in the center of your front yard…without its muffler.
• You will not get your driver’s license if you knock the side mirror off your car during the road test.
• It’s a bad idea to back up on a highway, especially if someone tells you before you leave the house “Do not back up on the highway.”
• “Running on Empty” is a popular Tom Petty song…not a guideline for the level of gas you should keep in your car.
• A caring driver calls for help when she sees a motorist in distress. She does not use her borrowed compact car to push a disabled SUV to the side of the road.
• Body work always costs more than you expect.
• Where you park a car is just as important as how you park it.
• The ability of a novice driver to gauge spatial relationships declines dramatically in the 24 hours after a prom or breakup.
• You can’t put up the power windows in the car if the window lock is engaged.
• You can’t start the car in the morning if you leave the interior lights on all night.
• The pole to the left of your car is closer than you think.
• You’ll get a ticket if you drive 52 mph in a 30 mile speed zone—even if you thought the speed limit was 40 mph.
• It’s hard to get back in your car if you lock the keys inside it.
• Tires rarely survive potholes, nails, wood or other random forms of debris.
• It’s harder to get new drivers to go easy on the tires than to buy a road hazard policy when you replace the ones they blow out.
• No matter how long a child has been driving, her parents will always worry.

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