By Robert Abbott
The Permit Year, Month by Month
Most families run the year backwards. Here's the order the skills actually build in.
The Permit Year
What should the permit year look like?
Use the learner period as a progression, not a countdown. Start simple, add complexity deliberately, and reduce coaching as judgment develops.
By Robert Abbott
Are You Still Driving From the Passenger Seat?
The goal of the permit year is to make yourself unnecessary. Most of us never get around to firing ourselves.
By Robert Abbott
How to Choose a Driver’s Ed Course: Online, In Person, or Both
The certificate is the same either way. What you want to know is whether the course will fit your kid, your schedule and your state's rules.
By Robert Abbott
Is Driver’s Ed Enough? What It Does Well, and the Part That’s Still Yours
Driver's ed is one of the best tools you have. It's also a few dozen hours in a process that needs hundreds of decisions on real roads.
By Robert Abbott
The First Drive: What to Do in the Parking Lot on Day One
The first drive sets the tone for the whole permit year. Keep it short, keep it empty, and keep it boring.
By Robert Abbott
Feedback Without a Fight: How to Coach Your Teen Without Wrecking the Car Ride
The car is a terrible place to have an argument and a great place to learn. The difference is mostly when you say things, and how.
By Robert Abbott
Road Test Day: What the Test Proves, What It Doesn’t, and What to Do That Afternoon
Twenty minutes with an examiner ends the permit year. The most important drive of the day is the one after it.