A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Teenagers to Drive

Birmingham, Ala. (October 16, 2026) — Learning how to drive is a major milestone in life for teenagers. While it can be exciting for the teen driver, it can be an emotional time for parents. For some, it’s the reality of knowing their child is growing up. For others, it’s the knowledge of the enormous responsibility their child is about to embark on.

“Parents need to make sure their teenagers know that when they get behind the wheel, the decisions they make not only affect them, but everyone in their car and everyone around them in other vehicles,” said Julie Farmer, state chapter director of Think First Alabama at Children’s of Alabama.

Farmer says when it is time to teach your child to drive, there are some things parents need to make sure they are aware of, such as the Alabama Graduated Driver’s License Law.  The Graduated Driver’s License Law took effect in October of 2002. The goal of this law is to give young drivers more experience driving while having fewer distractions. It has specific guidelines and restrictions to make sure teenagers get the supervised practice they need.  Farmer also wants to remind parents of the Hands-Free Law in Alabama. This law makes it illegal to hold a cell phone, text, or watch videos while driving.

“The reason this is important is that there are three main different types of distraction that affect drivers,” said Farmer. “One of those is visual, which means not keeping your eyes on the road. Another is cognitive, which means not having your mind on the task at hand, and manual, which means you have your phone in your hand. If you have a phone in your hand, then essentially, you have all three forms of distraction.”

Parents should also help their teen driver become familiar with the vehicle they are driving. Farmer says it is important for the teen driver to know how the vehicle controls work before they begin to drive, which will lead to fewer distractions on the road.

“Before the parent gets out on the road with the teenager, you need to have a discussion with the child about responsibility,” said Farmer. “It is a really good idea if you can have some kind of signed agreement, a parent-teen driving contract or agreement.”

A parent-teen driving agreement, according to Farmer, lays out the expectations and consequences for both the parent and the teen driver. Farmer says once the agreement is agreed upon, it should be revisited every four to six weeks so they are continually talking about which goals are being met or which goals should be continually worked on, or to adjust any of the goals. Farmer also wants to remind parents that throughout this process, their behaviors are being observed.

“Teenagers really do look to parents when it comes to driving,” said Farmer. “It is important for parents to not only talk to their teenagers but also be modeling that good behavior and keeping that line of communication open.”

 Parents and their teen drivers should also be aware of a law in the state of Alabama called Taylor’s Law. It can affect a teenager’s ability to get a driver’s license. Taylor’s Law is a disciplinary point system, with points starting at age 13. 

Farmer says parents should also talk to their teen drivers about obeying the speed limit and driving in different weather conditions.

“They also need to talk to their teenagers about alcohol,” said Farmer. “There is zero tolerance, which means if an officer pulls them over, it’s not like you are an adult and you can have a margin of error. There’s none for teenagers.”

For more information on the rules of the road for teen drivers, click here.