Planning Behind the Wheel Practice for an Alabama Teen

Before you start: understand Form DL-31

The DL-31 (revised 2021) is the one document that ties practice to the license. It has three parts. Part one records your consent, as parent or legal guardian, to unsupervised driving, as Code of Alabama Section 32-6-7.2 requires.

Part two is the Behind the Wheel Verification, where you certify 50 or more hours of practice. Part three is where a course the Alabama Department of Education has approved certifies completion. You always need part one, and then either part two or part three.

Every drive: who can sit beside your teen

During Stage I the supervising passenger must be a parent, a legal guardian, a licensed or certified driving instructor, or any licensed driver who is at least 21. A licensed grandparent over 21 qualifies.

Signing is narrower than supervising. According to ALEA's graduated license page, the signers can be you, a grandparent, a legal guardian or a certified driving instructor, for the 50 hour verification. So an uncle can ride along, but make sure one of the eligible signers is keeping track.

If you choose the school course

The school program is a semester long, or at least 70 clock hours, and is built mostly for 15 year old tenth graders. At least 30 hours happen in the classroom. Students then drive on public roads with a certified teacher in a dual control car, and some schools add simulators or a multi car driving range.

For planning, ALEA puts in car time at about six hours a student, but the program is performance based: a student keeps driving until the skills are there. ALEA also suggests that classes average no more than 15 students a semester on a standard timetable.

On test day: the school road test option

Under Act 2012-501, a driver ed teacher can act as a third party tester for ALEA, running the driving exam over an ALEA approved route. You sign the 2024 parental permission form and return it to the teacher.

Finishing the course is not enough on its own. Your teen must also have the signed form, a valid learner license, the skills ALEA and SDE require, and 50 supervised hours with a parent or guardian. The certificate only takes effect after the 16th birthday and six months on the learner license.

On test day: how the examiner scores the drive

ALEA's road test study guide walks through each item: finding the controls, smooth stopping, backing roughly 50 feet straight while looking back over the right shoulder, handling stop signs and signals, turning the car around with a single backing move, yielding correctly, parking and pulling away on a grade, turning, passing, holding a lane, using the horn, following distance and speed control.

The test ends in failure after a crash, a broken law, dangerous or reckless driving, refusal to cooperate, or a pattern of errors that shows habit or lack of practice. Your car needs current insurance and all required equipment.

• On a hill, stop within 18 inches of the curb and turn the wheels the right way
• Turn signal on at least 100 feet before the turn
• Three point turn without touching the curb or using a driveway
• Two second following distance behind the car ahead

If you are short on night and bad weather practice

ALEA does not set aside night hours within the 50, so it is entirely your call how much dark and wet driving your teen gets before going solo.

Here is why it matters: the Stage II curfew does not start until midnight, so your teen will be driving after dark on school nights and through the winter. A worked plan many families use is to make every fourth practice drive a night or rain drive. Over 50 hours, that adds up to a dozen or so hours in harder conditions.