Making Driver Training a Priority

How many hours does it take to teach a teen to drive—6, 60, 600? While New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program requires a 16-year-old to complete six hours of professional behind-the-wheel driver training as a prerequisite for obtaining a permit (teens who wait until they’re 17 years of age to obtain a permit are not required to complete professional instruction), that’s hardly enough time to cover all that a teen needs to know to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Take hand-over-hand steering. My newly permitted son is struggling to master this technique. His driving instructor explained this isn’t unusual and often it takes repeated coaching and practice to develop the skill. Since this is my first experience working with a novice driver, both my son and I will be scheduling additional in-car instruction. Yes, I’m going to spring for more training even though my son has fulfilled the minimum six-hour requirement. And despite having more than 30 years of driving experience, I’m going to get schooled as well.

Sadly, this attitude is not pervasive among my peers. Driver training isn’t viewed as a priority by the vast majority of parents, but as an inconvenience and/or expense. And some members of the driving school industry aren’t helping to change this mindset by touting “low cost,” “discounted,” “quick” or “done in a day” service. When it comes to teaching our teens—the most vulnerable age group on the road—how to drive, it’s time we invested as much, if not more, of our time and money into driver education and training as we do athletics, the arts and other extracurricular pursuits. I can’t for the life of me figure out how anyone can justify spending thousands of dollars to send their teen to computer or soccer camp, and then scrimp on driver training. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the former isn’t worthwhile (I’ve been sending my son to ice hockey camp since age 10), but an investment in the latter may just save your teen’s life.  

Recognizing that nothing claims the lives of more teens in New Jersey and nationwide than car crashes, helping teens build skill is essential. Quality driver training, coupled with extensive practice over a sustained period of time, can help lay the foundation for a lifetime of safe driving. Additionally, I encourage all parents to get a primer on how to coach their novice drivers by sitting in the back seat—with their lips sealed and their ears open—during one of their teens’ two-hour (the typical length) lessons. Or schedule a parent-only session with your teen’s instructor to get a feel for how to effectively demonstrate and explain key driving concepts. Whatever your preference, it’s important for parents, not just teens, to be an active participant in the driver training process. 

The process, however, doesn’t start with the teen’s first lesson. Rather, it begins with driving school selection. Choosing a driving school takes time and effort, so be sure to start the search before your teen turns 16 (let’s face it most teens are chomping at the bit to begin driving well before their 16th birthday so get them involved). While it’s a good idea to ask neighbors and friends for recommendations and to check online sources such as the Better Business Bureau and Angie's List, do your homework—ask about the instructor’s experience and training, and what will be covered during the lessons. At minimum, instruction should not only address basis vehicle control, but visual search habits, vehicle positioning and speed adjustment, passing and off-road maneuvers, freeway and night driving, driving on slippery surfaces, and risk reduction.

Also ask to see the vehicle your teen will be driving. Make sure it’s a clean, late model car (the newer the vehicle, the more safety features) equipped with rear and side-view mirrors for the student, as well as rearview and eye check mirrors and a dual-control brake for the instructor. Additionally, a large sign identifying the driving school should be prominently displayed on the vehicle to alert other drivers that a student is behind the wheel.

In addition to the behind-the-wheel sessions, a quality driving school should set aside time to review the state’s GDL program with parents and teens so that they thoroughly understand how and why it works, with a focus on minimizing risk. Additionally, the school should provide a copy of Safe Driving, A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Teens, which includes a comprehensive overview of the state’s Graduated Driver License and other motor vehicle laws. The award-winning booklet, developed by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, also features lessons and checklists as well as online resources to help parents prepare their teens for the privilege of driving.

Driving schools are also required under MVC regulation to provide a service agreement and list of fees to their clients, which must be signed by the parent or guardian of any teen under 18 years of age. Parents should carefully review the agreement with the school representative to ensure that their teens will be receiving at minimum six hours of one-on-one, private instruction. Recent changes to driving school regulations make it unlawful for a school to count “time in the car” (i.e., sitting in the back seat observing another student driver) as behind-the-wheel instruction. Also ask if the instructor will make time after each lesson to review with you what was addressed during the lesson, the route your teen drove, and how he/she did. At the completion of the training, parents should be given a comprehensive overview (face-to-face is preferable) of what was covered along with how their teens did and any skills that will necessitate additional instruction and/or significant focus.

If additional behind-the-wheel instruction is recommended, heed the professional’s advice. (I’d argue that if the instructor doesn’t suggest more training or at the very least strongly emphasize that your teen has met only the minimum instructional requirement and should practice diligently at least 4-5 times a week, the school isn’t doing its job.) Six hoursof behind-the-wheel training does not a driver make.  Driving, just like learning to play a musical instrument or perfecting a sport, takes plenty of coaching and repeated practice. But driving, unlike these other pursuits, is a critical life skill that if not done safely and responsibly could result in injury and/or death.

Research shows that it takes more than 1,000 miles of driving before a teen’s crash risk decreases substantially. Looking at it this way, how could anyone make the case that six hours of professional training is sufficient? As parents, we’ve invested thousands of dollars and countless hours educating, housing, clothing, feeding, and nurturing our children. As our teens take on the awesome responsibility of driving, we shouldn't cut corners on their safety.