Experts agree that novice drivers need 100+ hours of supervised driving practice, but there’s more to learning than just how much you practice. The DrivingMBA teen driving program is comprehensive, starting with ensuring that the students understand and apply the rules of the road, developing safe driving habits, and building fundamental skills. We are dealing with distracted, novice teens, and the skills we teach can save their lives, so there are no shortcuts. They must be able to navigate all types of roads and traffic situations, so varied practice routes are extremely important. We are not out there just logging hours, and neither should you be during your practice.

The DrivingMBA program is designed to partner with parents to develop competent, safe, responsible young drivers. We know what it takes. We’ve built our curriculum based on science and research, and it’s proven to work. Our 10-hour program includes 5 on-road lessons. We are planning on adding a 6th on-road lesson to our “testing package” because we believe it is in the students best interest to have 5 instructional drives, and the 6th is their final evaluation. Of course, you can always purchase as many on-road hours as necessary, however, know that we will recommend somewhere between 16-25 hours of on-road practice, over a 4–6-week period. While practicing your student is working on those competencies that we taught during the lesson. That way their skill level increases, and we can challenge them with more complex driving situations on their next coached drive.

You will receive a copy of your teen’s scoresheet after each lesson as well to help track their progress. Keeping a log makes it easy, and you will be surprised how the hours add up, even if it’s 15-30 minutes at a time. Make time for one of the most important skills your teen learns – driving. Think about reframing it from an “oh man we have to get this practice in” to “this is a great opportunity for me to spend some one-on-one time with my teenager to help them develop an important life skill.”

Did You Know?
That data shows that without structured classroom time and direction, teen drivers face greater risks behind the wheel. Teen drivers who have not completed driver’s education:

• Are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket.
• Are 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injurious crash.
• Is 16% more likely to have a crash.
• Are more likely to be involved in crashes and receive tickets during their first 2 years of driving.

Statistics are from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln via NHSTA.