Learners Permit – Tips For Parents For A Safe Journey From The

The learners permit allows new drivers to get a supervised "head start" in driving. With your help, your son or daughter can easily get from the learners permit test all the way through to the DMV driving test safely and successfully...and become a safe driver for many years to come.

I write as an owner of a driving school in California for 15 years. We have prepared thousands of students for their learners permit test, and seen how they progress with either good or bad guidance from their parents. The tips we offer here should help parents in any state to know just what it takes to create a good, safe driver.

Get Serious

Be sure your young driver is focused and cautious 100% of the time while driving, and don't accept anything less. If they get casual or treat you as if you are paranoid when you give them advice, then they need an attitude adjustment in a hurry. Trade seats, take the wheel, and let them know that driving can not be approached that way. 6 months or more of this kind of serious and focused practice should build a good foundation for a serious approach later on.

Plan for Practice Time

Don't just practice "on the way." So many parents make the same mistake. Many new drivers will only have a learners permit for 6 months. If you assume your new driver will get enough driving experience by just letting them do all of the driving on errands and trips to school, you are making a big mistake. We recommend 100 hours of practice time as a target. In 6 months, this would amount to 4 hours a week.

Typical family schedules just don't call for that much driving time in a week. Not to mention...the driving practice they do get will often lack variety. They only practice the same 4-5 routes you might take in a week, and after a while they just won't be learning anything new. You will have to set aside 2-3 hours a week in your routine right from the start, and just go practice. Get the most...and best "learning" you can get with that learners permit.

Get the Most Out of Your Practice Time

Driving schools rely on repetition to build skills and coordination effectively. Since we are never "just on the way" somewhere, we can always go and practice exactly what the students need...and practice it over, and over, and over again until it is right. If you see a weak point or a driving maneuver done awkwardly, go back around the block and do it again, discussing the mistakes or just getting things to come more naturally through practice. If lane changes are a weakness, go practice lane changes for an hour until they feel really strong, and then go look for something else. 6 months of this while using the learners permit should build one very solid driver.

But Before you Even Start...

Get your prospective new driver into a good quality classroom driver education class, whether it is required by the DMV or not. Online driver education is not as effective, but if it is your only choice, ask around and find one with a good reputation. And regardless which one you choose, get a good learners permit practice test to be sure the material is mastered. You shouldn't even take the learners permit test at DMV until you are sure the rules and safety issues are mastered.

The learners permit practice test we offer at our driving school comes from MyPracticePermitTest.com and we know it works quite well for the California DMV learners permit test.

Foothill Driving School in Folsom, CA. See our site for a lot more helpful tips on the process and on safe driving. foothilldriving.com

mypracticepermittest.com is where we get all of our practice permit tests offered in our classes. They are thorough and updated with all new laws every year.

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