So, you have a teenager who’s old enough to learn how to drive, and they’re begging you for lessons. You wonder if the best approach is to teach your teenager yourself. But then you think about the stress that comes with that and the worry over the safety of your vehicle.
Another route to go is to pay for lessons. Finding a professional company like Sydney’s LTrent Driving Lessons is the way to go. This naturally leads to wondering how much lessons are going to cost. LTrent offers driving lessons for both automatic and manual vehicles. They offer one, six, 10, and 25-lesson plans. The price depends on how many lessons you decide to purchase.
Preparation
Whether you teach your teenager yourself or pay for lessons, you’re going to need to make sure that your teenager is prepared. Here are the steps your teenager needs to take:
Steps
- Get a learner’s permit (must be 16 years old for a car or motorcycle, and 15 ½ for a moped)
- Learn to drive/ride
- Complete the Hazard Perception Test
- Gain more experience
- Pass the Practical Driving Assessment
- Obtain a provisional licence
If your teenager has gone through the Keys4Life pre-driver program through school, they will not have to do the Computerised Theory Test (CTT). While there’s no fee to renew a learner’s permit, the CTT will need to be taken again if it’s been longer than five years.*
With your teenager under the age of 25, they will need to complete a minimum of 50 supervised hours. These hours can be completed before or after taking the Hazard Perception Test. The 50 hours must be finished before the Practical Driving Assessment is taken.
The minimum 50 hours must be logged through either the Learner Log Book, the Learn & Log app, an approved interstate learner log book, or a combination of the previous methods.
You will need to make sure your teenager meets the number of night driving hours needed to get a valid licence. Examples are: the Australian Capital Territory requires 10 night time hours, whereas New South Wales requires 20, but Tasmania doesn’t require any night hours.
Choosing an Instructor
When you choose a supervising driver to teach your teenager, you’ll need to make sure that they have a current instructor’s licence. Youth driving course instructors are a good choice.
If you’re going to be hiring a professional instructor for your teenager, you’ll want to confirm that they have an updated driving instructor’s licence issued by the Department of Transport.
As the parent, you can be the supervising driver as long as you meet the requirements. Another relative or even a friend can fill the role as well.
Lessons
Knowing what your teenager needs in order to drive may seem like a no-brainer, but they’re still learning and don’t know what is second nature to you. So, if you’re going to be the one teaching your teenager, make sure that you have a firm grasp of what needs to be taught:
- Seat belt usage
- How to adjust mirrors and seats
- Location of controls
- Using the turn signal
- Checking mirrors and looking over the shoulder when pulling into traffic, changing lanes, or backing up
- Keeping hands on the steering wheel at the proper spots
- Being aware of traffic
- Making sure not to stop in crosswalks and or without their foot on the gas
- Slowing down before a turn
- Yielding the right of way
- Staying in the correct lane
- Observing all lights and signs
- Appropriate distance around their car
Conclusion
When it comes to teaching your teenager to drive, be sure that you have them prepared with the right documents. Then, choose an instructor like yourself or a professional like LTrent, and make sure that you know what your teenager needs to learn and succeed at driving.
