Supervised driving hours and the practice log

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find your state's required total and night hours.
• You can check whether your supervisor meets the rules.
• You can keep an accurate, honest practice log.
• You can plan practice that covers different roads, weather and times of day.

What you need to know and understand

• Many states require around 40 to 60 total hours for teen applicants; varies by state: check your state manual.
• Most states require part of the total to be at night, for example California requires 50 hours with 10 at night.
• Supervisors usually must be licensed adults over a minimum age, such as 25 in California.
• A parent or guardian often has to sign a form certifying the hours.
• Hours spent with a driving instructor may count toward the total in some states.
• Falsifying a log is dishonest and can be an offense.

Who can sit beside you

Your supervisor must hold a valid license and usually meet a minimum age, often 21 or 25, and sometimes a minimum number of years licensed. They must sit in the front passenger seat, stay alert and be fit to drive, which means sober and not using a phone. Varies by state: check your state manual for the exact rules.

Keeping a log the DMV will accept

Some states provide an official form, others accept any log or an app, and some only need a signed certification. Whatever your state uses, record each session as you go rather than reconstructing it later.

• Date, start and end time, and total minutes
• Whether it was day or night
• Road types: residential, city, highway or freeway, rural
• Conditions: rain, fog, heavy traffic, snow
• Skills practiced and anything to work on next time
• Supervisor's initials

Making the hours count

Fifty hours of the same short trip will not prepare you for the road test or for driving alone. Build up gradually: start in empty parking lots, then quiet streets, then busier roads, and finally highways, night driving and bad weather once you are ready. Short, frequent sessions usually work better than one long one each week.

Common mistakes

• Logging only daytime hours and leaving night hours to the last week.
• Practicing only familiar routes. Add new roads, parking and merging.
• Using a supervisor who does not meet the age or license rules, so the hours may not count.
• Filling in the log from memory weeks later.

Test yourself: Supervised driving hours and the practice log

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• South Dakota 50-Hour Practice Log
• Supervised Driving Hours by State
• MV-262 Form