NOTHING strikes more fear into the heart of the average road-user than a teenager behind the wheel. And it 's no picnic for parents, either -handing over the keys can be a stressful and worrying affair.

The first year of solo driving is when the "crash risk is highest ",says Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

But good news for those whose youngsters are still on their L plates:this is one of the safest driving periods.The more on-road experience and good habits they pick up now,the better equipped they 'll be to drive responsibly after their test,Clinton says.

"Really,it 's experience that reduces the risk in the end,not age.Maximising experience during the safe learning period reduces the risk once the youngster can drive on their own," he says.

Traditionally this is done through professional lessons and private practice with parents or family friends.Research suggests learner drivers should clock up about 50 lessons with an instructor,which can get pricey,so make sure your child is getting the most out of every session.

The first step is finding the right instructor,says Maria McCarthy,author of The Girls ' Guide To Losing Your L Plates."Check out that the person is qualified as opposed to just a trainee," she advises.You could also quiz them over the phone,or ride along on your child 's first lessons,she adds.

Gearing up for private practice sessions could even include a refresher lesson for yourself,Clinton explains,as well as a bit of swotting up on the Highway Code."It 's a reminder of how you should be driving, which may be different from the way you are driving," he says.

Your child 's instructor can also advise you on when to start private practice,and what to cover,McCarthy explains."The main thing to bear in mind is never to take the teenager beyond what they 've done with the driving instructor -always work below," she says.

"If they 're out on dual carriageways with the driving instructor,be doing town drives with them.If they 're just doing town drives with the driving instructor, stick to the supermarket car parks."

The main thing is for both parent and teen to agree to stay calm during practice drives,Clinton says.Shouting and sarcasm won 't help."The young driver may make mistakes - in fact it 's natural - or make decisions that might seem strange to an experienced driver " he says.

"It 's useful not to get too picky during the drive,but maybe talk about what happened a little bit later...Parents need to be aware that they 're not distracting the learner,because learners don 't have autopilot like experienced drivers develop.

So they will need to spend a lot more of their conscious mental effort on looking for things and making decisions."

And remember,a bit of a pep talk never goes astray:"A good training method is to offer praise and then a little bit of constructive criticism and then praise again," Clinton says.

But no matter how supportive and involved parents are,some children will still struggle with the task of learning to drive,McCarthy says.In some cases, throwing in the towel - even for a little while - could make sense.

"Let them know they 've got the option of giving up," she says."They haven 't got to learn to drive now if they don 't feel like it,just because perhaps their brothers and sisters did.

"In those teenage years,you 're doing exams,you might be involved in sport,you might have your first serious relationship.

There 's a lot of general pressure.And driving can be just another pressure."