How to Know If Your Teen Is Ready to Drive Alone
- Jun 25, 2020
- 4 min read
For many parents, the thought of their teen driving a vehicle alone can be terrifying. However, watching them drive away for the first time is practically unavoidable. It’s part of the growing up process. But, how do you know if your teen is ready to drive alone?
How Do I Know If My Teen Is Ready to Drive Alone?
Your teen may be ready to drive alone when they can consistently make safe decisions without step-by-step reminders, notice hazards early, follow traffic laws without prompting, and stay calm in common driving situations. But one of the clearest signs comes from you as the parent: if you hesitate when asking yourself whether your teen is ready to drive alone, that hesitation probably means they need more practice. Passing the road test is important, but it does not automatically mean a teen is ready to drive independently in every situation. More supervised practice can help your teen build the judgment, awareness, and confidence they need before you hand over the keys.
So, how do you prepare for your teen to become a licensed driver? Through practice - lots of practice.
Pennsylvania Teen Driving Requirements Are the Minimum
In the state of Pennsylvania, after your child has earned their Initial Learner’s Permit, they are required to complete 65 hours of adult-supervised skills training, including 10 hours of night time driving and 5 hours of bad-weather driving. However, this should be the very minimum. Wherever you live, don’t just assume that the state requirements are enough. It’s always better to be more thorough than to do the minimum. Use this time to guide, educate, and encourage your teen driver to make responsible, educated, safe driving decisions.
Many parents let their teen drive them home from their Learner’s Permit exam at the DMV. While this is an exciting moment in your teen’s life it is not the place to begin their driver’s training! The Learner’s Permit only means that they are now legally qualified to learn how to drive.
How to Start Teaching Your Teen How to Drive
The absolute best place to begin teaching your teen how to drive is in a large, open, empty parking lot. Ensuring that your teen knows the foundations of driving in a safe, confined environment will increase both your and their own confidence in their driving ability. You’ll both be more comfortable when it’s time for them to join drivers on the road.
Many parents have never had to teach someone how to drive before and quickly realize that things that come naturally to a seasoned driver have to be explained to a brand new driver. This is one reason I developed The Parent’s Guide to Teen Driving - to help parents learn to be better coaches for their teens.
Helping Your Teen Build Safe Driving Skills
After your teen has learned and practiced the basic skills necessary to drive, you can begin to focus on gaining experience. They should begin practicing in calm, daylight conditions. As your teen driver gains experience driving in calm conditions, they can begin driving at dusk and dawn, at night, in heavy traffic, during inclement weather, and through construction zones, as their skills increase and they are comfortable.
Gradually Building Driving Skills
Teen drivers should not jump from a parking lot to high-risk situations like highway driving. Practice should progress gradually from low-risk environments to more complex driving conditions. Situations that parents should be sure to do with their new teen drivers include:
Empty parking lot
Quiet neighborhood streets
Familiar local roads
Busier roads and intersections
Highway or faster roads, if appropriate
Dusk and nighttime driving
Rain and poor-weather practice
Construction zones and unfamiliar routes
Review our full checklist here for more of the skills and situations you should make sure to cover with your new teen driver.
The Question You Need to Ask to Know if Your Teen is Ready to Drive Alone
Education and lots of practice with adult supervision are the best ways to prepare your teen to drive alone. When it comes time though, you might still be wondering if your teen is ready to take the test and get their license. First, I remind parents that just because your new teen driver can pass the test, doesn’t mean they are ready to drive on the roads by themselves.
At this point, I tell parents and guardians to ask themselves, “Do I think my teen is ready to be driving on the roads by themselves?” If there’s any hesitation - that’s your answer.
If you aren’t completely sure your teen is ready, then they aren’t. Don’t rush into letting your child drive alone because this is one area where there can be serious, even deadly consequences if they are not ready.
It’s okay to take longer than the prescribed amount of time the state sets. What matters is that your teen is a safe, aware, and responsible driver. The road test is not the finish line. Readiness means your teen can make safe decisions without you coaching from the passenger seat.
If you are not sure your teen is ready to drive alone, trust that hesitation. Safe Driving Coach helps families build safer, more confident teen drivers through professional behind-the-wheel lessons in Montgomery County, PA and surrounding area.
You can also explore The Parent’s Guide to Teen Driving for a step-by-step plan to help you coach your teen from the first practice drive to independent driving.
About the Author
Todd Avery is the Founder and Owner of Safe Driving Coach and has over 40 years of experience behind the wheel. He has coached thousands of drivers, including teens preparing for independent driving. Todd’s instruction focuses on lifelong safety habits, situational awareness, defensive driving, and helping families know when a teen is truly ready to drive alone.
