Daughter passed the drving written exam. Her dad took her yesterday for first driving lesson. Our LPS has a driver education program in week days. However, due to scheduling issues, she can not enroll in it. What is the best way to teach some young teen driving. After how many family lessons we should hire ptivate driver ed guy, suggestions welcome, as we want it to make safer as well as less costly project, thanks
We started out a local (large) parks at nonbusy times, driving around the parking lots and the lanes connecting them. Then we moved on to rural roads, then busier roads then 4 lane roads. We try to do at least some driving everyday. But we are also going to enroll our teens in drivers ed, my 16 year old is starting classes in a week and a half, she got her permit in April.
My 2 older kids (17 & 19) did a LOT of driving with me. First in parking lots, then wide empty streets, then busier roads, eventually the parkway (that started on “Ocean Parkway” in October-- it was deserted. We worked our way up to busier times.)
But in my opinion, there simply is no substitute for Driver’s Ed. I would adjust the scheduling to make it fit, either over the summer or during the school year.
Thanks, that is what we intend to do except drivers ed.
Driver ed is not possible, as she has internship during those hours, I may have to hire a private tutor for drivers ed
Any suggestion on when should we introduce private drivers ed
Kind of depends on laws of state. In our state, most kids I know don’t take it at school. After my girls got learners permit, they went to private drivers training. For one, they picked D up at our house on school late start morning and did lesson before school and ended up at the school. Other did that and some afternoons.I’m pretty sure they did weekends also. I loved having someone else teach. They even prepped them for actual test route and took them to get DL (I just had to sign forms). This was less stressful for all involved and the car they used was smaller and better for parallel parking portion. Now the state required that they have a certain # of hours practice with an adult (40?) which they did with us - mostly H.
AAA website for our state has list of driver ed companies if you need names. The one we used was on it although we heard just from other parents.
I pay a driving school - money well spent
Something else to keep in mind is that in many states you get a discount on said child’s insurance after they have taken driver’s ed.
Just need a lot of hours behind the wheel in differing situations. I started kids in large church parking lot so the could get used to accelerating, stopping and turning with no other cars around (don’t try that on a Sunday morning :)). Practice pulling into parking spaces gets them used to turning to get to a certain spot (and the lines help initially). Then I had them drive a series of cul de sacs close to our house. Limited traffic and plenty of opportunities for stop signs, left and right turns (rolling and from stops). Some of the neighbors probably thought we were crazy because drove past their houses 20 times a day.
Once they have that down go at least another day. Then you can move to more crowded and multi lane roads. Again lots of repetition. With my daughter we literally got lost one time about an hour from our house because we were not paying attention to where we were going. Just trying to drive. GPS on phone quickly got us back home.
Highways were last for us. We have a stretch of 2 interstates that are not very crowded near us. We just drove in circles driving on one, getting off on the other and then circling back to the first. Need to get comfortable driving at highway speeds, exiting and entering, changing lanes, etc. Easier to do that if you can find a stretch of highway with little traffic (part of day may matter). Then you can build up to more crowded highways. Full blown rush hour driving on 5+ lane highways is something they pretty much need to learn by baptism by fire (but after they have very solid driving skills).
Also need night driving. Our state requires parents to certify that kid has 50 total hours behind wheel (including 10 at night) before they can take the driver’s exam.
I told my kids early on that driving was the first time they were given the ability to hurt someone very seriously with no supervision (once they had their license). There will be no one there to force you not to run a red light but the consequences of not doing so can be tragic and everlasting.
Also, if your climate allows:
The first snowy day you can, find an empty parking lot and teach your child what it means to “steer into the skid.” So much better to learn in a parking lot than going 40mph on a crowded roadway.
For me it started with a golf cart on the golf course before they even were old enough to get their permit. When my D was old enough, we did driving school first and then I would take her to the school parking lot and also around our neighborhood. She had a problem with breaking kind of hard and stopping short of where most people did so I went out to Amazon and I bought a Student Driver magnet that I put on the back of my car when she drove so that the person behind us would give us more room. Also helped to prevent people from tailgating her as she would go a bit slower than most people.
The biggest issue for us is teaching how to drive in Traffic Circles or Roundabouts. We have over 100 of them in our town and for someone just learning they can be intimidating. Luckily we have one right next to the house that isn’t very busy so we would practice on that one before we started to hit the higher volume ones.
We stayed to 30 mph roads for the longest time until I was comfortable with her ability to control the car then we started to expand to 45 mph single lane roads before working our way up to higher speeds and merging. Just don’t rush the process. I didn’t force her to try something she wasn’t ready to do. As she gained more confidence then we would work our way into new things and situations.
I started teaching my boys at 13 driving in parking lots to get a feel for the vehicle. Each time I would add another exercise like parking, speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes etc. By the time drivers ed and temp permit, they were familiar with the operation and ready to try rural no traffic roads and gradually add in more complex roads, city driving, night driving and rain driving. By the time my first one got his license, he drove with me many hours and is a good driver. However, he is only 16 so I still worry everytime he leaves. But having driven with him for many hours, I at least know I did everything I could to prepare him. My other is 14 and I’m taking him through the same process. He started at 13 and he’ll get the same intensive training.
My kids are also well familiar with mom’s rules-- like “There’s no such thing as ONE kid on a bike or playing ball. You see one kid and you slow down and look for his buddy.”
All the states vary in their rules.
DS also couldn’t take driver’s ed at the local public school.
He just completed a week long “camp” of driver’s ed on the campus of a nearby day school. Although he could take the written exam without the course, I really wanted him to get the information in as many ways as possible. DS actually found it fun, particularly when they were challenged to do different tasks wearing drunk goggles.
Thanks everyone
@infinityprep1234 if you haven’t yet checked, look at AAA in your area. My daughter is taking her drivers ed through there instead of school because the in car driving times are more flexible. Try work around your schedule more instead of having set times to pick from. They also had more classroom choices (both weekday and weekend options) that made scheduling around her summer class and work schedule easier.
Private company drivers ed is mandatory here, if they want to get a license before they’re 18. Nothing offered through school. Hours were very flexible for classroom instruction, either after school for a few weeks or a full weekend. Then driving lessons with their instructors, in their cars, supplemented by us, the parents, in our cars. We paid the extra to have her tested at the drivers ed facility, in their car, with their instructor. Took a lot of pressure off because of the familiarity. Yes, she did something careless, and jumped the curb turning a corner, and automatically failed the first time. Got a great score on her next try.
I second the suggestion to order a car magnet from Amazon. Just makes the other drivers around them a little more patient.
Timing-wise, I think she took the test for her permit, we started practicing on parking lots, she went to drivers ed and practiced with them, and we filled out the rest of the hours of practice before the driving test.
Also, offering my best wishes and support. If your child has never done any pre-practice with driving, the first several trips can be stressful!
Thanks everyone! Appreciate it.
Do Amazon have a car magnet that you can just hang from trunk or do you have to screw it or just attach it to back side of car? Should I order a set of three just in case if we loose one? Thanks again
We started in large church parking lots on Saturdays and then high school parking lots on Sunday’s. Continuing with parent in passenger seat he’d practice within residential neighborhoods with wide streets and sidewalks then progressed to letting him drive to/from school everyday the same route so he became familiar with the feel of the car (this was going to be his car) and distances on two lane curvy roads. Once he was comfotable with car and route let him drive alternate routes to/from school and other places as parents were available for ride-along.