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  1. #11
    squimp is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Do they have their permit yet? You might also pick up the drivers book for your state and ask around to see if there are any apps for practicing for the permit test.

    Here we have to drive with our kids 100 hours once they have their permit and before they can test for their license. That is a lot of time to practice and get more comfortable! You can reduce this to 50 hours with driver's ed, also they get to bypass the state test which is a big time and stress saver. DD learned a ton at driver's ed, I highly recommend it if it's an option, even with lots of practice with mom and dad. We started with empty parking lots, just driving in circles and practicing pull in parking. We did this for several months before she took drivers' ed, so it was pretty low stress getting her permit.

  2. #12
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    JBaxter is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    In florida you have to take a 3 hr online rules and drug course then you can get your permit at 15. You need 12 continual months with your permit and 50 hrs of driving with or without professional instruction. We did parking lot and development driving ( speed limit is 15 mph) for a month or 2 then did less congested driving by 4 months in he was driving us to and from school. 6 months we hit the interstate.
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  3. #13
    hbridge is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Driver's ed, then empty parking lots!

    Unfortunately, the driving simulators do not actually simulate driving DC and I figured that out this weekend; they just got their permit and we were playing some driving games.

    There is no "observation" piece of driver's ed with the covid regulations (at least here). The students are 1:1 with instructor.

    Definitely the permit is the first step.

  4. #14
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Default driver training simulator

    OP, it also depends where you live the driving conditions DC need to be familiar with. Here in LA, DS has to be comfortable driving freeways and being in bumper to bumper traffic. We have a quieter freeway nearby our house so we had him drive up and down that first so he got used to merging onto the freeway, driving at higher speed, changing lanes, and exiting with little traffic. Then we worked up to other freeways with increasing levels of traffic. We still help checking when he merges on and does a lane change. We know what lane he needs to be in so he gets plenty of notice when to move over. MIL has been impressed when she asks about DS’ driving, as she refuses to drive here. He has to be able to drive freeways safely. I’d rather him drive a lot with us and make mistakes with us there to correct him before he’s out on his own

    If we lived elsewhere, he would have had less freeway driving or done it later in his drivers Ed. I was surprised when driving instructor said they don’t go on the freeway in their lessons. That seems crazy to me here.


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    Last edited by niccig; 01-04-2021 at 05:47 PM.

  5. #15
    Globetrotter is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    DS got his permit September 2019. Last summer was supposed to be the time he learned to drive and took lessons, but we are in CA so we are supposed to have them take a lesson before driving with us, and I wasn't comfortable with that. Even so, for both kids we took them to an empty lot and taught them the basics, like how to switch the car on and off and use the brakes and steer. That helped a lot with DD and she was able to skip ahead in the paid lessons.
    After the parking lot session, DS hasn't driven once! He was supposed to get his license by Sept. 2020 so I'm wondering if he has to redo the permit.
    I'm hoping he can take lessons over the summer as I want him to be proficient by the time he goes to college. DD's friend is a senior in college and has yet to get her license! DD, otoh, has been able to apply for jobs that required a license (and driving), not to mention all the other practical benefits.
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  6. #16
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    We do weekend sessions in a business park. Lots of empty parking lots. Then we can drive on the roads--stop signs and one light--in the business park. Once that was done--took about 2 months with 2 one-hour sessions each weekend and a very nervous driver, we then drove neighborhood streets to the grocery store--2-3 miles away. Then neighborhood streets to school and back. Then progressively busier streets. Finally the free way. He got his license at 16 and we told him to stay off the freeway for a while. He has gotten better at it. We have to say we drive 40 hours with the kid--they also take a didactic portion--and then they can test for their license. After they get their license, they can't drive with anybody other than family in the car for 6 months. DS has been driving for 1.5 years now and is fine for everything he has needed to do so far. But that does not include lots of freeway driving or driving for more than 30-45 minutes at a stretch.

    Driving is a non-negotiable for my kids. I was not driving them around when they could drive themselves and DS did not want to take the public bus to school every day. (e.g. city bus not school bus-takes a looong time)
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  7. #17
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Default driver training simulator

    Quote Originally Posted by Globetrotter View Post
    DS got his permit September 2019. Last summer was supposed to be the time he learned to drive and took lessons, but we are in CA so we are supposed to have them take a lesson before driving with us, and I wasn't comfortable with that. Even so, for both kids we took them to an empty lot and taught them the basics, like how to switch the car on and off and use the brakes and steer. That helped a lot with DD and she was able to skip ahead in the paid lessons.
    After the parking lot session, DS hasn't driven once! He was supposed to get his license by Sept. 2020 so I'm wondering if he has to redo the permit.
    I'm hoping he can take lessons over the summer as I want him to be proficient by the time he goes to college. DD's friend is a senior in college and has yet to get her license! DD, otoh, has been able to apply for jobs that required a license (and driving), not to mention all the other practical benefits.
    If the permit has expired, he’ll have to take the written test again to get a new permit

    https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver...ction-permits/

    DS has had 3 lessons with AAA. He has to wear a mask and gloves. The car is cleaned in between lessons. His 4th lesson after Christmas was canceled as they stopped in person lessons right now. It took 6 weeks between getting his permit and the first lesson because they’re booked solid - taking less students and catching up from when they were shut down. DS could only get one lesson a month too due to scheduling. He can take the driving test end of February, but he may not get all the lessons in by then. So plan for several months to get all the lessons done



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    Last edited by niccig; 01-05-2021 at 12:29 AM.

  8. #18
    PunkyBoo is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by niccig View Post
    If the permit has expired, he’ll have to take the written test again to get a new permit

    https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver...ction-permits/

    DS has had 3 lessons with AAA. He has to wear a mask and gloves. The car is cleaned in between lessons. His 4th lesson after Christmas was canceled as they stopped in person lessons right now. It took 6 weeks between getting his permit and the first lesson because they’re booked solid - taking less students and catching up from when they were shut down. DS could only get one lesson a month too due to scheduling. He can take the driving test end of February, but he may not get all the lessons in by then. So plan for several months to get all the lessons done



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    I saw that the DMV here in CA has postponed the expiration of drivers permits and licenses due to covid.
    We checked because DS1 got his permit last January and still doesn't have enough hours to take the test (and the driving tests are currently shut down).

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  9. #19
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Default driver training simulator

    Quote Originally Posted by PunkyBoo View Post
    I saw that the DMV here in CA has postponed the expiration of drivers permits and licenses due to covid.
    We checked because DS1 got his permit last January and still doesn't have enough hours to take the test (and the driving tests are currently shut down).

    Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
    That’s good to know they postponed them. I’m not sure when DS can get the next 3 lessons done


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    Last edited by niccig; 01-05-2021 at 01:28 PM.

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