How to Tell When Your Kid Is Ready to Drive Alone

While not to be relied on exclusively, state requirements do help considerably in getting your teen ready to drive solo. All 50 states have some variation of graduated driver's licensing, or GDL, which eases drivers through stages of increasing independence behind the wheel.

In most states, the eligible age to start the process is 15, though it ranges from 14 to 16 nationwide [source: Governors Highway Safety Association]. GDL details vary by state, but most have three phases [sources: National Institutes of Health, Governors Highway Safety Association].

After the initial, supervised learning stage and the restricted, intermediate stage, you may feel confident your child knows the rules of the road and can drive well under normal conditions. What he or she lacks, however, is experience. Experience is the key to safely navigating unexpected or complex road conditions [source: Teen Driver Source].

To evaluate higher-level skills, take your teen out driving at night, in bad weather, in heavy traffic, through construction zones, and on highways to practice navigating on-- and – off ramps (especially ones with tight turns), merging, and changing lanes at high speeds.

Basically, if a maneuver makes you a little tense when you're driving, practice it a lot with your child at the wheel.

A few skills deserve special attention. A 2011 analysis of serious accidents involving teen drivers showed that a deficit in three areas accounted for nearly 50 percent of the driver-error crashes: lack ofscanning, or assessing the car's surroundings to see possible problems before they occur; notreducing speed to accommodate dangerous road conditions; and being distracted by something in the car or outside it[source: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia].

While adults certainly get distracted, too, some traits of adolescence make kids more susceptible. Safe driving practices in general are not always well-supported by the teenaged brain.

Adolescence is often characterized by impulsiveness, risk-taking, difficulty controlling emotions, intense concern with peer relationships, and trouble seeing long-term consequences. None of these makes for particularly safe driving behaviors [source: National Institutes of Health].

You could say bad driving is in the teenage brain – or more specifically, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for "executive functions" like problem-solving, multitasking, planning, impulse control, and attentiveness. This area of the brain doesn't fully develop until the early 20s, which means a 16-year-old driver simply does not operate like a 30-year-old driver would [source: National Institutes of Health].

That doesn't mean your teen can't be ready to drive alone. It does mean you need to take special care to assess your child's maturity level before handing over the keys. A few questions to ask yourself (and discuss with your child) are [source: Bosari]:

These questions overlap, and you may not have all the answers. These are traits to watch for, though, in the months leading up to an intermediate or full driver's license, because they help indicate your child's overall capacity for good judgment. A child who respects the rules, has a track record of resisting peer pressure, and understands the risks associated with driving – and, of course, has excellent driving skills -- is a good candidate for going it alone.

Still, even the most responsible teen driver embarks on a high-risk first year on the road. And while you may not always be there to watch and advise, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of an accident.

As with so many other parenting practices, the best thing you can do for your teen driver is establish who's in charge (that's you). In this case, you're looking at two main approaches: Establishing driving rules and controlling access to the car [source: Teen Driver Source].

"Controlling access" essentially means your teen does not have a car. A 2009 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that over the course of one year, teen drivers who shared a family car were half as likely to be in a car accident as those who had their own [source: Shute]. So consider holding off on adding another vehicle to your roster (or else just hold on to the keys).

When it comes to the setting the rules, it can be helpful to draw up a parent-teen driving agreement. This is a document, signed by you and your child, listing the terms of your teen's driving privileges – the rules your child must follow both on and off the road, and the specific consequences of breaking them. Ideally, you'll draft it together, which makes it more likely the rules will be followed [source: Teen Driver Source].

The most common rules are obvious ones, like always wearing a seatbelt, never driving under the influence, obeying traffic laws and never texting while driving. Off the road, your teen may have to maintain certain grades and/or contribute a certain amount toward the car insurance.

Some other important considerations include [source: CDC]:

Finally, there is the high-tech approach. You can, in fact, know exactly what kind of driver your child is when you're not around. Electronic monitoring is available in many forms, including GPS-based apps and in-car units that tap into a car's computer diagnostics. They can let parents know, sometimes in real time, when their kids speed or slam on the brakes. They can be notified when the car is in use after curfew or stops at an unplanned destination. Some systems even provide in-car video and sound [source: Doheny].

If you add this to your overall plan – it's a supplement, not a solution – your teen may be exasperated but it may also decrease her likelihood of speeding, indulging in distractions, and becoming a statistic [source: Doheny].

Whatever safety plan you settle on, remember to review it together periodically, and consider making changes as your teen becomes a more experienced driver. The goal, after all, is independence.