New Hampshire Behind-the-Wheel Hours, Planned Month by Month

During the course: time with the instructor

RSA 263:19 sets a floor of 10 hours at the wheel and 6 hours observing, on top of 30 classroom hours. The DMV says all of it is with a certified driver education instructor, so not one minute driven with a parent counts toward the 10.

Observation means sitting in the training car while a classmate drives. Teens sometimes shrug it off, but watching another beginner misjudge a merge and get coached through it is real teaching that the driver's seat cannot give you.

Online classes leave the car time untouched

A school may deliver half the classroom time, 15 hours, over the internet. The instructor driving and the observation never can, and the classroom part still needs its two 45 minute modules on motorcycle and tractor-trailer safety awareness.

Each school sets its own tuition. Before paying it, ask which hours are online and how in-car lessons get booked.

From 15 and a half: who rides with your teen

By statute, a licensed parent or guardian supervises the 40 hours. If neither parent nor guardian is licensed, a licensed adult over 25 can step in. Separately, the general practice rule says any non-parent, non-instructor supervisor must be licensed and at least 25.

That person sits up front, has a current license, and answers for any violation the learner commits. Pick someone who can correct mistakes without raising their voice.

Keeping a log the DMV will accept

Record hours on the Certification of Additional Supervised Driving sheet the DMV provides, or use the Parent's Supervised Driving Program, which includes the Road Ready app. Your teen signs to certify the total, and so does the parent or guardian.

Keep night hours in their own column so the 10 hour minimum is easy to see. Fill it in after each drive; a log rebuilt from memory the week before the test is where errors creep in.

• The date, plus start and finish times
• Day or night
• Kinds of road: in town, highway, rural, winter conditions
• The supervising adult's name and signature

A sample schedule

Saf-C 3110 lets your teen start the course at 15 years and 9 months, or later if they will be 16 by the last classroom session. Because practice is legal from 15 and a half, a lot of families build up logged hours before the course starts.

Say your teen turns 15 and a half in October. You could log daytime hours through the fall, add winter night drives when it gets dark early, start the course in January at 15 years 9 months, and have all 40 hours plus the course done by the 16th birthday in April.

If a school you like is missing from the DMV's town-by-town list, phone (603) 227-4075, the Driver Education office. Some licensed schools choose not to be listed.

If the 40 hours do not fit your situation

A rider seeking only a motorcycle endorsement skips the 40 hours but must finish an approved motorcycle rider training program instead. For a teen with an ADA-covered disability the family can ask the Commissioner of Safety for a waiver, granted at the Commissioner's discretion.

At 18 the 40 hour certification stops applying. A new driver still gains a lot from that much supervised time before going solo.

On road test day: the car

The car must be fully registered and safe to drive, with a current inspection sticker where one is required. A licensed driver brings your teen and the car and waits. Only your teen and the examiner ride during the test, which usually runs 15 to 20 minutes.