Tips For Parents

Safely teaching kids to drive is one of parents' most important responsibilities. As a team, we need to give them the skills and techniques they need to assure their safety on the roads. We will work with you throughout the process to be sure the student is progressing as they should. Please feel free to call if you have any questions or need any advice at all. We are glad to help.

Working as a team, we need to learning to drive can be perfectly safe and comfortable for parents and students if you avoid doing too much, too soon. Be sure to start with the basics, and get a lot of repetition and practice at that level before moving to anything more complex. When it is time to move onto some busier streets, students will be much more confident and calm if they have good basic skills mastered first. Take this approach to every "next level" of driving complexity as you go along. Our rule as instructors is "if you are getting nervous or scared, you are progressing too quickly." Take a step back whenever necessary to be sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

Students are required by DMV to practice 50 hours above and beyond the 6 hours of driving school training. We strongly recommend doing 100 hours instead. There is absolutely no way around it . . . to be a safe driver, students need a lot of supervised experience. The only alternative is for them to learn on their own later, normally through mistakes, close calls or collisions. 

If you plan to hold the permit for the minimum of 6 months, you would need: 2 hours/week to finish 50 hours
4 hours a week to do the 100 hours of practice

If you don't keep a simple log of driving time, it is very easy to lose track of just how much driving time you have done. It is also good to be sure you are getting a good variety of driving experience. Students need residential, curvy roads, city driving, and freeway (along with 10 hours of night driving). Try to keep track of how much time you are getting in each of these categories.

Many parents mistakenly think that simply asking the student to "be the driver" for all family errands and trips will get you enough practice…it normally won't! You should really try to set aside a regular time every week to go and practice driving. Whatever troubles they are having, go and work on those things over and over again until they become perfect. You will be amazed at how effective this kind of focused practice time can be. It's a great chance to spend some time together too!

With the large number of students at Foothill Driving School, we recommend that parents and students begin by booking their first 2 lessons if possible. 5-6 weeks apart to allow for practice in between. (Students with 5 or 6 lesson packages should do them once per month instead, as there are more to do.) After finishing the first lesson, schedule out the 3rd, and so forth, so you always have the next two planned out and on the books. Remember that typically the last lesson is scheduled around the behind the wheel test, so wait to schedule that last one until you have a date set at DMV.

We recommend saving the last lesson of your package to use as a test preparation when the student will review all the skills needed to pass the DMV test and get tips and advice on taking the test.

As soon as the DMV Test date is booked, parents/students should contact the driving school to schedule this lesson.