Advice for Parents of Student Drivers
Here's the truth every parent needs to hear before supervised driving starts: your future driver is watching everything you do behind the wheel — and they will drive exactly the way you drive. If you speed, use your phone, tailgate, try to beat that yellow light, or turn into a road rager, your son or daughter will copy every bit of it. So before your teen ever earns their learner's permit, be the role model. Set the example of safe, responsible driving — do it for the safety of your new student driver.
I'm Chris Scanlon, a Minnesota driving instructor and the Program Director at South Metro Driving School, and I coach teen drivers behind the wheel every single day across Apple Valley, Rosemount, Lakeville, Eagan, and most of Dakota County.
What to Say to Your Teen During Supervised Driving
If you're anxious about your child learning to drive and you're not sure whether to laugh, cry, or be afraid — I get it, and your fears are warranted. I see a lot of shenanigans on Minnesota roads every day, sometimes from my own student drivers and sometimes from the drivers around us. I call it "exotic driving," and I do my best to avoid it. Learning to drive is a scary process, but it's a necessary one — these young, inexperienced, easily distracted new drivers have to learn how to drive safely now and for the rest of their lives.
During behind-the-wheel lessons I use something called Commentary Driver Training (a technique I picked up at St. Cloud State) — basically a running narration of the drive. The goal is to talk the student driver through their decision-making before we reach an obstacle and need an adjustment to our path of travel, not after. Every teen driver is different: some need a lot of direction well in advance, others just need a nod that they're doing it right. There's no substitute for supervised driving experience, and it's instantly clear who hasn't put in the hours.
The Most Common Student-Driver Mistakes (and What to Say)
These are the deficiencies I correct most frequently during driving lessons — coach these during your supervised driving hours and your teen will be miles ahead:
Hard Stops — This tip may preserve the mental health of every parent working through this process, it prevents the last second hard stop. “Brake hard early in the stopping process to take a big bite out of your speed, feather back on the brake as you reach the stopping point before the crosswalk.” Remember S.T.O.P. — See Tires On Pavement: Stop far enough back so you can see the tires of the car in front of you, touching the pavement. This should create about a 1-car length gap between your car and the car in front of you.
Rolling stops — "Full stop, count one-two, then go." Stop signs are non-negotiable on the road test.
Drifting in the lane — "Look farther down the path of travel, not over the hood. The car goes where the eyes go. Good drivers look ahead on the roadway and plan early.”
Too fast into turns — "Slow down to a controlled speed before the turn, use momentum as you make the turn with your foot covering the brake, accelerate as you exit the turn, let the wheel slide through your fingers, and accelerate as the wheels straighten - no need to counter steer.
Improper SMOG — "Signal your intent to change lanes. Check your Mirrors. Look Over your shoulder. Go when you are ready. LSMOG is better; Look before you start to SMOG; check things out and see what kind of space you have to work with. Then start the SMOG process, when you already know you have space."
The One Thing That Matters Most: Supervised Driving Hours
My number-one piece of advice for every parent of a student driver is simple: get as many hours of supervised driving as possible. Minnesota requires at least 50 hours (15 at night) before the road test — but the parents who push for more hours create more confident new drivers. Whether they like it or not, parents play a huge role in this process. Experience builds safe driving skills and a lifetime of safer driving. Inexperience will prevent you from passing the Road Test, and that’s probably good for everybody.
When your teen is ready to knock out their required behind-the-wheel training, that's where we come in. South Metro Driving School provides six hours of one-on-one behind-the-wheel driving lessons with Professional and Experienced Educators.
Know a parent about to survive supervised driving? Forward this article to them.
Enroll with South Metro Driving School
Written by Chris Scanlon, Program Director & Owner of South Metro Driving School
SouthMetroDrivingSchool.com — Info@SouthMetroDS.com — 612-552-1929
South Metro Driving School is a Minnesota State-Certified Driving School serving the south Twin Cities Metro — with core markets in Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Eagan, and growing service in Farmington, Lakeville, and Hastings.
This article reflects Chris's personal experience running a licensed Minnesota driving school and independent research from official Minnesota state and city sources, current as of September 2026. It's meant as a helpful starting point, not legal advice - rules change and cities differ, so always confirm the current requirements with Minnesota DVS (dps.mn.gov) and your local city before you ride or drive.
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