Are Parents The Most Effective Driving Instructors For Their Teens?

Parents care about their children more than anyone else but the system appears to be set up for parents to fail.  When it comes to making sure their teen knows how to drive "strategically-safe", I've found that many parents not only fail, but fail miserably.  The problem arises from the following.

First, the driver education industry in this country is largely inept.  This industry primarily focuses on teaching new drivers the rules-of-the-road along with proper driver behavioral attitudes in order to make them safe drivers.
While driving rules and behavioral attitudes are important parts of being a safe driver, the industry fails to inject the most important part.....Driving Strategies! Folks, it's like playing a game of Chess and only knowing the rules. Without knowing the strategies of Chess, you would probably lose the game.

Second, parents are charged with practicing the driving skills with their teens.  Knowing how to "drive" and knowing how to "teach driving" are two entirely different skills yet most people assume they are the same.  They're not. Parents usually pass on to teens their own driving habits, both good and bad, without even realizing it.

Third, the DMV's driving exams are truly lacking. In California, I've personally witnessed a 6 minute drive test with the normal test lasting between 7 and 12 minutes.  The skill level needed to pass these exams is extremely low setting up the new driver to believe they are competent, qualified and safe.  These extremely minimal standards, as far as I'm concerned, are the main reason why driving is the #1 killer of teens.

To answer the question above:  If parents take the time to educate themselves on the strategies of driving (and of teaching driving) along with the rules-of-the-road, then the answer is "yes", they are the most effective driving instructors for their teens. If the parents don't bother educating themselves, then the answer is "no" and the new teen driver has to take their chances with an inept driver education industry.....the same industry that hasn't been able to prevent driving from being the #1 killer of teenagers over the last 70+ years.