Teaching Teens How To Drive

Las Vegas Driving School Lessons

Parents Teaching Teens How to Drive

Perhaps you have decided to teach your teen how to drive. Or you have done some driving lessons with us and want to follow a proper guideline for ongoing practice.

Nevada Drive Academy Teen Supervised Driving Program for parents should help you to impart the driving skills to become a safer and more responsible teen driver.

Some things to keep in mind having taught hundreds of teens how to drive:

Our vehicles are equipped with an instructor passenger brake. A requirement by the Nevada DMV driving school enforcement division. Having an instructor brake is a huge advantage. We as experienced driving instructors have control over the car.

We can slow the vehicle down or stop and we can also steer.

Parents often state that their teen drives better with me, then with them. That's usually because they are more tense with the parent. They can feel your stress.

Students will comment how calm thy feel in the car during our lessons.

Remember no yelling. Driving should be fun. Your teen must enjoy the learning process or they will dread getting in the car with you.

Your teen will remember these lessons for years to come.

Driving practice is essential: See our Driving Skills Checklist

We are often hired to teach the teen how to drive but are given limited time as far as number of lessons. And every teenager is different. Some learn faster than others.

I am often asked. How many lessons are needed. Honestly we need to do a few lessons to provide an answer. If I was to say on average it would be around 12 hours or 6 two hour driving lessons behind the wheel. But we are also assuming the teen will be practicing with a supervising adult also.

Are some new drivers ready to take the Nevada DMV road test after six lessons. Some students yes.

Studies show that the risk of a crash diminishes with lots of driving experience.

Driving in Las Vegas has its own unique dangers, It really takes a year of consistent driving to settle in and have all the skills and confidences.

The more time you can spend driving with your teen, the less likely it is they’ll crash when they begin driving alone. Driving in a variety of circumstances is equally important. While using this program, you should drive on all types of roads.

Make sure your teen gets exposure to a variety of Las Vegas roadways, and in different conditions as well: at night; in rain, and in heavy and light traffic Las Vegas traffic.

The teacher should be a driving role model:

We really cannot tell our teens not to text or talk on the phone while driving if we do it.

Your teen driver will pattern their behavior around yours. Including your own driving habits. Like driving with one hand. Looking at the phone at stops.

You must obey all Nevada traffic laws and fix your own unsafe driving habits (speeding over the limit, driving aggressively, rolling through the stop signs, accelerating through yellow lights, not yielding to pedestrians, honking at other drivers when its not an emergency etc.).

Basic Tips for teaching your teen

• Seat belts must always be worn. Your teen is responsible for the safety of their passengers. They should make sure everyone is buckled up before starting off.

• Before each driving session, decide the goals of the day’s lesson and plan a route.

Parking practice should be a part of the lessons.

• Before starting off go over the last lessons. That means keeping notes. Very important. Write down each time your teen does not look over the should when changing lanes. Or coming to a complete stop. Or going over the speed limit.

We have a driving lesson skills checklist for each student. Every lesson has a date including mileage we drove together.

• Keep instructions simple and concise. Say where to go and what action to take. For example: “Drive to the corner and turn right.”

• The feedback you give should be calm, precise, and immediate.

Be patient and alert at all times. Remember to give positive feedback when your teen succeeds!

• When your teen makes a mistake, which will happen often, do not criticize.
Remain calm and simply repeat the driving maneuver or skill until it’s done correctly. To minimize their frustration, emphasize to your teen that mistakes are a normal part of learning.

• Driving lessons should be consistent with what we teach during our professional drivng lessons taught by your teen’s driving instructor. If you teach something differently, your teen will be confused and learning will be more difficult.

• Remember that students learn at different paces. Make sure your teen has mastered each fundamental driving skill before you move on to the next drive lesson, even if that means repeating a driving lesson several times. Patience and practice will pay off in the long run.

• Integrate Las Vegas night driving into as many driving lessons/classes as possible. Most importantly, make sure your personal vehicle you use for training is safe. Confirm that the brakes have been recently inspected, and check to make sure the tires have sufficient tread depth. It’s generally recommended that you do not train in larger vehicles that lack stability control. We have had many students tell us their parents started them right off in a truck or SUV. Or on the freeway ! Its that myth you can throw a child in the lake and they will learn how to swim.

Vehicle Control

New Driver Preparation Before Starting The Engine and Cockpit Drill

How To Read The Gas Gauge

BGE Mirror Setting

Aim High

Moving Steering and Stopping The Vehicle

How To Park Next To The Curb

Driving On A Quiet Street

How To Back Up The Vehicle

How To Do A U Turn

Looking Ahead

Parallel Parking