Behind the Wheel

Person driving a car on a highway with hands on the steering wheel.

Behind the Wheel in car instruction is last BIG step in becoming licensed to drive.

This isn't instruction, it is review.

Over the course of your in car review, you will cover distance driving (maintaining speed and attention), mountain driving (appropriate breaking going into turns/accelerating coming out of turns, coasting, maintaining a constant speed on changing terrain), city driving (protected turns, stop signs and lights on city blocks, pedestrian crossings, narrow roads, parallel parking) highway driving (merging, ramps with acceleration lane and without, maintaining speed, changing lanes). We also cover busy parking lots, major roads and off road recovery.

I don't understand Virginia and how to get a license.

It's ok, we still feel like we are figuring it out too! But there are some pretty good policies that apply to most kids under the age of 18.

*At 15 and 6 months you can get your learners permit from DMV.

*At 16 and 3 months you are "eligible to drive" if you have completed the coursework, have held your learners for 9 months AND have successfully completed the in car portion of Behind the Wheel. All three of these things have to be completed in order to be Virginia eligible.