When your teen gets behind the wheel on their own for the first time, your mind will race with emotions like excitement, panic, worry, and maybe even a little fear. The most important thing is to trust your teenage driver. Find out if your teen is ready to hit the road by taking this quiz, and ease some of your worrying.
How to Tell If Your Teen Is Ready to Drive: The Quiz
Is My Teen Responsible?
The first questions you should ask yourself are "Is my teen responsible?" and "Can I trust my teen?". If you answer yes to both of these, then we'd say it's safe to move on with your decision to let them behind the wheel. Trusting your teen to be responsible when left to their own devices may be the hardest thing to do.
Is My Teen Able To Focus?
Distracted driving is a bigger problem than ever before with always staying plugged into social media or playing on your phone. There are three forms of distracted driving your teen needs to avoid to stay safe:
Optic distractions — Anything that takes their eyes off the wheel like looking at their phone or their friends.
Manual distractions — Things like eating, playing with the radio, or touching their phone are manual distractions.
Mental distractions — This can be anything that mentally distracts your teen like thinking about school, their job, or issues with friends.
If your teen can avoid all of these distractions, you can feel safer about them being behind the wheel.
Does My Teen Know How to Fully Operate a Vehicle?
If you've been teaching your teen how to drive, they should know the basic driving maneuvers. Once you're satisfied with their ability to perform things like stopping, turning, yielding, and even parallel parking, they're on the right track. Your teen should also know the controls and features of the car including the turn signals, lights, mirrors, wipers, emergency brake, and hazards. They should even know how to check the oil levels along with the other fluids.
Can My Teen Drive in All Weather Conditions?
Depending on where you live, your teen might see a lot of different weather conditions. Be sure you taught your teen how to drive in these types of conditions:
Rain — The most common element to drive in. Teach your teen how to handle a hydroplane.
Snow — If you live in the north, your teen should take it slow if they drive in the snow.
Tornadoes — If they see a tornado forming they should try and drive away and seek shelter.
Even if you don't live in an area with these weather conditions, at least quiz your teen on how to react to them.
Does My Teen Know Highway Driving Techniques?
You may trust your teen to drive around the block, but highway driving is a whole different aspect. Your teen must know how to merge at speed, change lanes, check blind spots, and maintain a safe distance. They should never tailgate. Learning how to navigate toll plazas and interpret exit signs can also be a challenge.
Is My Teen a Safe Driver?
Safety should be your teen's number one priority while driving. If you can answer yes to the following questions, your teen is ready to drive:
Does my teen wear a seatbelt?
Does my teen practice defensive driving?
Does my teen pull over to use their cell phone?
Does my teen know how to drive safely with passengers (if your state allows them)?
Does my teen know to only drive with the proper amount of sleep?
Help Your Teen Get Their Driver's License
Did your teen pass the quiz? Great! Now you can help them apply for their license by signing them up for driver's education classes online at Aceable.com. We can help them every step of the way while teaching them at their convenience.
Updated 5/24/24