Please share your best tips on teaching a teen to drive!

[Chelley00]

However, he will need to log in 50 hours (If not more?) of driving time before he can get his license. And there is no way he will get 50 hours in drivers education. !

Here, our drivers school gave them 6 hours behind the wheel (plus 10 hours of classroom time) and he had to have something like 40 other driving hours as well.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Prior to getting her permit, I took my daughter to the school parking lot several times and had her drive, park, back up, and several other things until I felt confident that she would listen to me and take it seriously plus do all of those things with ease.

She got her permit this past March and she has been driving me pretty much everywhere since. She drives at least once or twice a day, and while she still has questions and I feel like a am on edge a lot, she is doing very well. I let her drive around town a lot and she has also driven to my mothers house an hour and a half away several times. It's mainly two lane highways and a four lane too so it has been good experience.

She has not been on the interstate yet and I think that's important too. I say this because my dad put me behind the wheel on a trip to see my grandparents. I drove five hours straight and by the time I got there I felt like I could do most anything. That was stressful but it really did help me a lot.

She is taking drivers ed at school right now and her teacher has that the best thing that you can do for your child is to let them drive. They don't get enough drive time in during that class and the more experience they have the better they will be. I agree. Lindsey has been driving for months now and I still think she needs more time. It could just be that I'm not ready to turn her loose.

My oldest DD was different. She was horrible at the school parking lot and she wouldn't listen to me. I was to scared to let her drive, especially since she almost rear ended a police car. She actually learned in drivers ed and is a pretty good driver now. She has never had an accident, knock on wood, and she is 21.

 

[Pigeon]

I don't know what your DD has done while you are driving and she is a passenger, but my DS never knew how to get anywhere either and we chalked it up to his always texting or listening to his music with buds in, and never paying attention to where we are going. I finally told him that he needed to unplug and watch what I did and where I went.

It's not that she's texting or listening to music, she just doesn't know how to get places. I understand her completely.

I hate driving. I go where I need to go, but I don't enjoy it and I hate having to drive places I've never been. I can have gone past something as a passenger a bunch of times, but unless I have been the one to drive there, I usually wouldn't know how to get there. I have no sense of direction. GPS is my friend.

I think dd just shares my missing sense of direction. Dh, OTOH, has an impeccable sense of direction, and he just doesn't understand us.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Here, our drivers school gave them 6 hours behind the wheel (plus 10 hours of classroom time) and he had to have something like 40 other driving hours as well.

I believe the rules are the same here also. I know the drivers ed. teacher said that if he drives for 15 minutes a day for the next 6 months he will log the necessary driving time. I think that the kids need 30 hours of classroom time though here. He starts Oct 5th and ends Nov. 23rd. 2 hours each on Saturday & Sunday.

 

[Pigeon]

My kid is taking driver ed, and dh has had her driving as well. Basically, whenever he's in the car with her, she's driving.

Her driver ed teacher commented that she's far ahead of the other four kids in "her car" and she told him that she'd been driving a lot with her dad. He said that's the way it ought to be. Most of the other kids' parents don't let them drive much at all.

Thank goodness dh has nerves of steel because I'd be just like those other parents!

 

[Cindy B]

Our school district drivers ed is not behind the wheel. Drivers ed is a class taken in place of Health. This drivers ed class just allows the students to study for the written DMV exam. They do not do behind the wheel training here. Behind the wheel (required for 16 year old permit) is only by private driving school. Private driving school is not required is the teenager is 17.

When I was in high school, you could sign up for free behind the wheel and it was a lottery system. Out of the 700 people in my senior class, I was one of the few that got picked. I had to drive with the scary lady gym teacher!

If you drive almost everyday, you do get better at it. I've seen so many kids that have the permit and the parent forbid them to drive. How do you expect them to learn?

Drive them everywhere, city roads, rush hours, circles, interstates, to the airport, etc. As a teen I lived in a rural area and while it was easy to learn, you didn't have the experience of being on the interstate, parallel city parking, drive thrus, etc. If you learn in busy area, you can do anything. Nothing will seem scary.

 

[njmom47]

Let the instructor do the instructing, and you do the reinforcing.
I took my kids to a quiet neighborhood with wide streets rotfl2 and let them drive through there. There was stop signs, some roads had curves, and I made them practice parallel parking. Then I let them drive me to the store, then to my meetings, farther from home a little at a time with different challenges, pointing out things they should be aware of as we drove.

They all drive quite well, except dd#2 still likes to hug the lines on curves which makes me nervous!

ETA In NJ, they have to have 6 hours behind the wheel to get their permit. That takes a lot of pressure off us parents!!!

 

[rszdtrvl]

ETA In NJ, they have to have 6 hours behind the wheel to get their permit. That takes a lot of pressure off us parents!!!

They let kids drive without a permit?? Or 6 hours behind the wheel while in drivers education?

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's a tip handed down through my family.....take the new driver to a cemetery to practice. For obvious reasons, there is a reduced chance of hitting anyone.

Worked for us until a squirrel ran in front of the car and we almost hit 'Jesus'!!!
I started my youngest off in a huge, unoccupied parking lot. One of the first things I did was yell 'stop'!! I wanted to know that she would do it without question! Then it was on to straightforward driving. She got to practice on the roadways in and around that parking lot. Then we tried the cemetery. Very traumatizing for me!!!! Almost hitting a statue of Jesus indeed!!!
Then, I turned her over to Drivers Ed. We paid a ton of money for that. But it was worth it. Here in Mass, you can get your license at 16.5 but you have to take drivers ed. Otherwise, you have to wait until you're 18. Our drivers ed consisted of...
a parental class of 2 hrs.
12 hrs of behind the wheel in all sorts of situations
6 hrs observation from the back seat
30 hrs of classroom
40 hrs of behind the wheel with parents.
You can start classroom at 15.9, and get your permit at 16.

I taught both my older kids to drive with no problem. Even taught my son how to drive standard. When my daughter took her driving test, I sat in the back seat, very pregnant!! The testing officer kept glancing back to make sure he wasn't going to have to deliver a baby!!!
But when my youngest got to driving age, I discovered I didn't have the 'nerve' to teach her. Once we got out on the street, I became a nut case!!! And dh wasn't an option. So, she did very well in a more formal setting.

It's something they have to do a lot before they get comfortable.

 

[cookingqueen]

In a previous life I was a driving school instructor- both classroom and behind the wheel- 12 long years!!

The best advice is to have your child drive all of the time- seriously all the time! You need to let them drive at night, in snow, rain wind etc because at some point it will be dark, snow rain etc when they are on the road and its better for you to help them prepare and practice. Also highway/freeways- again they will go on them eventually...

Definitely have the calmer person in the family take them- I really think that the best approach is a more hands off approach- less micro managing their driving - its too much for them to absorb, especially when they are driving and the passenger is barking out "suggestions".

A final piece of advice for when they get their license- no passengers in the car for a good long while- in my state the law is the first 6 months no friends in the car (anyone under 18) - loss of license and fine. This doesn't include immediate family members (brothers sisters) but you know the dynamic of your family- if the siblings don't get along its best to keep them out of the car so that your child can focus on driving and getting better. Nothing magical happens on the day your child gets his license - the day before they had their permit - so they still need lots of practice....

 

[elgerber]

I just wanted to offer my sympathy LOL, my dd finally got her license in July and now drives to school daily. It took two tries, and yes, I let the driving instructor take her on the busier roads before I did. My dh made her more nervous, so I was the one that got to do most of it.
I laugh at all the wine comments, because yes, wine is what I want when she goes out. Yet I'm afraid to drink it, in case something happens and I have to go pick her up LOL!

 

[ckay87]

I was the calm person in the family who taught two sons to drive. Calm, I mean, to the point where I would occasionally nap while they were driving! I don't know where I mustered up that level of calm, haha!

Anyway, the biggest thing I did with my youngest son, before he ever turned a key, was have this talk: I told him that while he is driving, he knows nothing and I know everything. Nothing I tell him to do is debatable, everything I say is right. If he does not have that God-like respect for me during driving lessons, we do not do it, period.

This was a necessary exercise with a kid who argues with me about EVERYTHING. I was not about to have lengthy debates about decisions being made at 60mph.

 

[marcyinPA]

Our school district got rid of drivers Ed years ago - budget cuts. Our choices are private driving school, a program run by the I. U. that costs $450, or teach your kid yourself.

 

[aprilgail2]

Our school district got rid of drivers Ed years ago - budget cuts. Our choices are private driving school, a program run by the I. U. that costs $450, or teach your kid yourself.

Ours got rid of it when I was a senior way back in 1979!!

 

[rszdtrvl]

The local high schools don't teach it either. There are 2 different driving schools. The one DS is going to is the only one with weekend classes (he is a cheerleader and weekday classes are out of the question) and the cost was $325.

 

[Rence]

I had never been behind the wheel before Driver's Ed - that was a huge mistake. We started going and the instructor told me to apply the brake - never having done it before I slammed the brake - we were only going about 7mph - but it still was quite a jolt. Absolutely give them some experience before any behind the wheel instruction.

Now this was many years ago (I'm 57) and my mother still refuses to believe that it happened this way - but I got my permit and mom would take me out driving. Now mom was all into explaining how people "really" drive as opposed to how you are "supposed" to drive. So she wanted me to coast through stop signs if no one was around etc. Of course I am studying to pass the driver's test and that wasn't going to fly. We finally got in such a big argument about it, that I ripped up my permit and told he she could just drive me everywhere.

Several months later I got a second permit behind my mom's back. I did all my driving with my dad - which worked much better. I actually had my license for four months before I told my mom.

Now in general I think as a teen I got along better with mom than dad, but when it came to driving, dad was a better instructor.

 

[minkydog]

My best tip for teaching teens to drive is LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT.

My oldest son was a confident and safe driver, but my daughter was a Nervous Nellie. Oh my. She was afraid of everything and drove worse than a blue-haired lady. Sending her to Driver's Ed saved my sanity. She got a good foundation and eventually, after a lot of practice, became a decent driver.

Indeedy, it was worth every penny of the $500 I paid for their 40-hr driver's ed course.Not only that, we got a discount on insurance for it.

 

[minkydog]

Several months later I got a second permit behind my mom's back. I did all my driving with my dad - which worked much better. I actually had my license for four months before I told my mom.

I got both my license behind my mother's back. I had had my permit for over a year and my mother still didn't think I could drive right (of course, this pretty much matches everything else I did in my life~oy!) So, when I was 18 I got my boyfriend to drive me to the DMV and took the driver's test. I wasn't nervous at all, not even with the parallel parking, which is saying something given that I was driving a big Ford Econoline Van. I couldn't even see out the rear view windows! I had to use big side mirrors to see the traffic behind me. Only after I passed the test and had my license in hand did I get flustered. Then I looked down and realized I had my shirt on inside-out!

 

[peigirl]

Here, in PEI, they can get their learners permit at age 16 and have to have it for 1 year (or 9 months if you take Drivers Ed) before you can take your road test. And you have to have a big yellow and black "L" sticker on the windsheild.

When you pass your drivers test, you have a big yellow and black "G" graduate sticker for 2 years on your windshield...for the first year of having your "G" you have certain restrictions...after the first year, many of these restrictions are lifted.

I took my DD18 today and she passed her road test (1st try was 2 weeks ago)..Last time she rolled thru stop signs and failed. She did not take drivers ed and wanted me to teach her but was very cranky everytime I instructed her...my lip should have a hole in it, I bit it so much.

Paula

 

[peigirl]

Here, in PEI, they can get their learners permit at age 16 and have to have it for 1 year (or 9 months if you take Drivers Ed) before you can take your road test. And you have to have a big yellow and black "L" sticker on the windsheild.

When you pass your drivers test, you have a big yellow and black "G" graduate sticker for 2 years on your windshield...for the first year of having your "G" you have certain restrictions...after the first year, many of these restrictions are lifted.

I took my DD18 today and she passed her road test (1st try was 2 weeks ago)..Last time she rolled thru stop signs and failed. She did not take drivers ed and wanted me to teach her but was very cranky everytime I instructed her...my lip should have a hole in it, I bit it so much.

Paula