Practicing Car Control

1. Choose a Safe Practice Area: Take your teen driver to an empty parking lot or a quiet residential area.

2. Familiarize with Car Controls: Show your child all the controls of the car—even if they are already familiar with them. Ask them to explain each control and describe when to use it. For example, high beams—how do you turn them on? How do you flash them? When should you flash your high beams?

3. Master S.M.O.G.: This is one of the most critical techniques we teach during our lessons:

   • S: Signal.

   • M: Mirrors (Check the rearview mirror first, then the side mirror in the direction of travel).

   • O: Over the shoulder (Check to cover blind spots).

   • G: Go (If the way is clear, don't hesitate; go).

4. It’s very important to signal for at least 3-5 seconds before changing the direction of the car (e.g., turns, lane changes, parking). Many students and even experienced drivers make the mistake of looking around first before using their signal. This is incorrect; we always want to indicate our direction of travel before checking for traffic.

5. Building Car Control and Confidence: Start by practicing numerous right turns. Making proper right turns is one of the first signs that a driver has good control of the car.
   Proper Right Turns in a Residential Area:

   • Signal at least half a block or 200 feet before the turn.

   • Check mirrors and look over your right shoulder to ensure there are no bikes or cars moving out of their parking spots.

   • Get close to the curb, blocking bicycles or the bike lane—this is crucial and often tested during the Road Test.

   • If there is a stop sign, come to a complete stop. If the way is clear, complete the turn (pay special attention to ALL-WAY stop signs and regular stop signs).

Patience

Many parents struggle to stay calm and speak to their teens in a composed manner during driving practice. It’s important to start by creating a safe environment. Take your teenager to an empty parking lot where mistakes can be made without consequence. Sometimes quiet residential areas work nicely too.

Over the years, I’ve met many parents who felt they couldn’t handle the stress and ended up paying for driving schools to cover the 50-150 hours of practice truly needed to become a safe driver. As a driving instructor with 30 years of experience, my suggestion is to take baby steps:

1. Start Simple: During your first lesson, begin by going over the car’s controls. You might also move the car back and forth a few feet just to get a feel for it.

2. Practice Steering: Ask your child to turn the steering wheel all the way to the left and then all the way to the right a few times. This will help them understand the range of motion and the effort required to turn the wheel.

3. Practice 3-Point Turns: Start with 3-point turns to teach your child how sensitive the pedals are and how quickly they need to turn the wheel with the right amount of force.

Always stay calm and maintain control of the situation. If the lesson becomes too intense, stop and try again the next day—or consider reaching out to our school for assistance.

The State of California requires teens under 18 to complete at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel training, including 10 hours of night driving, with their parents or guardians. However, we recommend 150 hours of practice. Many scenarios may not arise during the first 50 hours, and the goal is to expose your new driver to a variety of unforeseen circumstances, which can take additional time.