Professional Behind the Wheel instruction costs hundreds of dollars for just six hours of instruction.
That’s a lot of money per hour for lessons. So how do you make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck?
MIKE SAYS to get the most out of your teens six hours of behind the wheel lessons with a paid instructor, follow this advice:
1. Wait for your teen to take their first lesson with a paid instructor until you have had your teen practice behind the wheel with you for at least 10 hours.
Make sure your teen has mastered the safety checklist, understands the basic operating systems in the car they will be driving (ie. where are the blinkers, the lights, the windshield wipers, the emergency brake, how to fill the car with gas, etc).
Your teen should have practiced with you in a parking lot as well as at least on suburban side streets. They should understand how to stop, back up and turn with relative ease.
After your teens first lesson, talk with the driving instructor to find out what your teen should work on. Then spend as many hours as possible with your teen behind the wheel so they master the basics, as well as how to get on and off freeways, parallel parking and 90 degree back-ups.
2. Schedule the second lesson a month before your teen plans to take their driving test.
After this lesson, ask the instructor what your teen should work on to help them pass the test. Again, as a parent continue to practice basic maneuvers and have your teen drive in bad weather, at night for at least 10 hours and create a variety of routes for them to practice.
If you just drive to and from school as practice, they will not have “real life” experience. Mike believes once your teen is at this point, they should drive EVERY time you go somewhere because inexperience is the number one reason teens crash once they get their license.
3. Schedule the third lesson a week before your teen plans to take their driving test.
Mike also suggests that your teen should NOT get their license just because it’s their birthday or because they finished the Driver Education Program. He says your teen should get their license when they have driven with you for at least 30 days without a mistake. If they make a mistake, the 30 days starts over and continues until they can drive for 30 days without messing up.
These tips will help you in 2 important ways:
- YOU will feel confident about handing the car keys over to your teen once they get their license.
- YOUR TEEN will have sufficient time and instruction to master driving safely on the roads.
If you are unsure about how best to train your teen behind the wheel over the course of the 50 hours of parental supervision, just check out our roadworthy DVD. Our goal is to help YOU create a Smarter, Safer teenage driver!
