Parent Involvement

Pennsylvania law requires teens to be supervised for a minimum of 65 hours behind the wheel before they can test for their license. As the parent, you are going to be the primary supervisor during the learning phase.

The relationship between the parents and the driving instructor can be critical for building longterm defensive driving skills in a new teen driver. The driving instructor is the subject expert who can introduce proper skills and help establish training goals. The parent is the supervising driver who reinforces these skills and helps the student meet their goals.

Yes, parents can train their own children without the help of a professional driving instructor. But should they? Let’s face it – most people with teen children haven’t taken the driving test in twenty years or longer. So many, many things have changed during that time. Are you aware of every single law on the books governing traffic on PA roads? And can you easily explain each to a teenager who rolls her eyes at you every time you speak?

At Driver Training Services, our professional instructors are subject matter experts who know the law inside and out. They are well-trained and attend continuing ed seminars and workshops year-round. But they aren’t just knowledgeable, they are trained teachers who know how to take complex concepts from traffic laws to the laws of physics and make them easily accessible and understandable.

We also pride ourselves on our interaction with parents. We believe that your teen’s best chance of long-term success and safety on the roads is with parents and driving instructors working as a cohesive team, introducing and reinforcing proper techniques throughout the learning process.

We encourage “ride-alongs”, especially on the first lesson. One or both parents are welcome to ride in the back seat and take notes, ask questions and observe. This way parents can reinforce the training between lessons and maximize the experience their teen gains. Can’t do a ridealong?

At least be present at the end of each lesson. Our instructor will sit with you and go over, point-by-point, what was covered in the lesson via our “Lesson Checklist”. At this time, the instructor can answer any questions you might have or provide you with tips to better supervise your teen during practice driving time.

At the beginning of training, your DTS driving instructor will provide you with their cell phone number. If you have any questions or concerns about your teen’s driving behavior at any time, call your instructor right away.

If we work together, we can give your teen the best possible future as a safe, defensive driver!