Intermediate Lessons: Taking It to the Next Level
Once you’re confident that your teen can handle simple traffic situations, it's time to move on to roads with higher speed limits. Start with 45 mph or less speed limit roads, in urban or suburban areas, such as business districts, shopping districts, or downtown sections.
Talk about what may cross your teen's driving path:
- Buses
- Crosswalks
- Turning lanes
- One-way streets
- Parked vehicles along the street
- Increased pedestrian, car, truck and bicycle traffic
Skills checklist
Your teen should master the following skills on crowded roadways:
- Keeping the correct following distance
- Approaching intersections (with and without traffic signals)
- Turning from the proper lane
- Adjusting speed
- Navigating busy parking lots
- Parking-streets and lots
- Entering traffic from a parking lot
- Merging with traffic from a ramp or turning lane
- Scanning and identifying hazards
Two-lane highways
Two lane roads can be particularly risky for new drivers. Most of these roads have speed limits of 45 mph, are often curvy, have little to no schoulder, and may not be well-lit.
These roads also may be used often by high school students to get to friends’ houses, sports fields, or school. Although they may not have a lot of traffic, these roads are potentiallly dangerous for inexperienced drivers. They will have to watch for animals and may have a limited view of the road ahead, traffic from side-roads, and warning signs.
Skills checklist
Make sure that your teen has mastered the following on two-lane roads before driving independently:
- Keeping a safe following distance
- Approaching intersections (with and without traffic signals)
- Maintaining proper speed
- Anticipating and handling curves
- Allowing vehicles to pass
- Parking on streets and in lots
- Scanning and identifying hazards
