How to Teach Your Teenager to Drive
Seems like only yesterday your child was a toddler. Now, you’re figuring out how to teach a teenager how to drive. With a little bit of preparation, helping them develop their driving skills can be a wonderful bonding experience. Follow these tips to help your teen become a confident and safe driver.
If the idea of your teen driving makes you anxious, you’re not alone. After all, motor vehicle accidents are incredibly common among young, inexperienced drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, teen drivers have crash rates nearly four times those of drivers 20 and older per mile driven.
Which age is best for learning to drive? That varies with each teen. As you evaluate whether it’s the right time for yours to get behind the wheel, consider whether they:
Ultimately, only you know whether your teen’s ready for this milestone. Don’t rush it if they’re not. Remember, learning how to drive a car for the first time is a big step and requires time, commitment and concentration.
Review your state’s requirements for young drivers with your teen. There are at least 37 states where driver’s education is mandatory.
In addition to driving lessons for teenagers with a licensed instructor, are there restrictions on when they can drive, who else can be in the car, and using a cellphone?
Take these guidelines seriously and consider adding stricter ones of your own. Maybe limit your teen to one friend in the car or driving only during the day. Forbid making phone calls or texting while driving. Require everyone in the vehicle to always wear seat belts. Prohibit speeding.
It’s also important to discuss the dangers of using alcohol and drugs. Make sure they understand it’s illegal to drink under the age of 21 − and that drinking and driving puts lives at risk.
If you’re wondering how to teach your child to drive in a way that feels manageable, start small. Focus on one skill at a time, keep practice sessions short and choose low-stress environments before moving on to busier roads.
Before your teen gets the keys, they need to be comfortable with the car they are driving. If possible, have them learn how to drive in the one they’ll be using once they get their license. Along the way, show them how each of these features works:
You should also make sure they know where to find the registration, insurance card and operator’s manual.
Once your teen’s ready to drive, head to an empty parking lot to practice. Have them:
As your teen masters these skills, move to quiet streets where they can work on:
When you’re both ready, start practicing on familiar roads at different times of the day, in assorted levels of traffic and with varying weather conditions. Stick to low-speed, low-traffic areas, and take different routes for the variety your teen needs to become a safe driver.
One of the best tips for teaching a teenager to drive is to narrate what you want them to notice: speed limits, pedestrians, parked cars pulling out and changing traffic lights. That can help a new driver learn to scan the road instead of focusing on only one thing.
Learning how to drive a car for the first time is one thing — parking it is quite another. Once again, an empty parking lot and a quiet residential street are good places for your teen to practice parallel parking, pulling into and out of a 90-degree parking or diagonal parking space, and parking on a hill. This is also the time for learning how to make a safe three-point or U-turn.
With lots of traffic and high speeds, highway driving can be pretty intense for a new driver. First, prepare your teen for:
Next, get them started with driving at quieter times of the day to practice merging into traffic, staying in the lane, using higher speeds and following at safe distances. Then, gradually move on to busier traffic situations.
Difficult conditions are dangerous for all drivers, but particularly for inexperienced operators. When you’re confident your teen can handle most driving situations in daylight and good weather, give them plenty of supervised opportunities to drive each type of road at night and in rain, snow and fog.
Quick check: Here are some of the most important rules for teaching someone to drive. Keep instructions clear, avoid overcorrecting and pull over safely if either of you gets frustrated.
| Practice stage | What to focus on |
|---|---|
| Empty parking lot | Starting, stopping, turning, backing up and steering control |
| Quiet neighborhood streets | Intersections, lane position, speed control and hazard awareness |
| Main roads | Lane changes, traffic lights, merging and sharing the road |
| Highways | Higher speeds, safe following distance, exits and blind-spot checks |
Show them how to perform simple car maintenance including:
Contact your insurance company when your teen’s ready for a learner’s permit. Usually, you don’t need to add them to your auto policy until they officially get a license, but it’s good to check. And since your rates will change when you add someone to your policy, think about saving money by combining your home or life insurance with one company, or taking advantage of available discounts. You can also learn more about Adding a Teenager to Your Car Insurance Policy and How Teens Can Help Lower Their Insurance Costs. Call one of Amica’s insurance professionals about customized protection that fits your budget and protects your teen driver on the road.
At the end of the day, learning how to drive and becoming a safe, capable driver take time − lots of time − behind the wheel. How long does it take to learn to drive? As with when it’s time to learn, how long to learn depends on your new driver’s personality and ability to perceive information.
That’s why you must prepare yourself mentally to spend plenty of time driving with your teen. Many states require 50 hours of supervised in-car experience at a minimum. Experts say 100 hours would be better. New drivers must think about every single step because they have no experience. The more they drive, the less they’ll have to think about each step.
FAQs about teaching a teenager to drive
Break lessons into short sessions and focus on one skill at a time. Start in an empty parking lot, then move to neighborhood streets, busier roads and highways as your teen gains confidence.
Do you know how to teach your kid to drive safely?
Set clear rules, stay calm, model good driving habits and give supervised practice in different conditions. It also helps to review state laws and limit distractions, passengers and nighttime driving while they’re learning.
Set clear rules, stay calm, model good driving habits and give supervised practice in different conditions. It also helps to review state laws and limit distractions, passengers and nighttime driving while they’re learning.
Keep directions simple, require seat belts, avoid cellphone use, practice in low-risk settings first and move forward only when your teen is ready. Consistency matters more than long, stressful practice sessions.
Also of Interest
6 Common Mistakes Teen Drivers Make
How to Pick the Safest Cars for Your Teen
Distracted Driving
Safe Driving Tips to Lower Your Insurance Costs
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