Supervised practice and driver education in Louisiana

By the end of this topic you can

• You can describe the classroom and behind-the-wheel parts of driver education.
• You can state the practice hours needed before an intermediate license.
• You can say who may supervise logged practice.
• You can explain what the parent statement confirms.
• You can describe the rules driving schools must follow during lessons.

What you need to know and understand

• Teens complete 30 classroom hours and 8 behind-the-wheel hours with a licensed school.
• Adults 18 and older can take a 14-hour course instead: 6 classroom hours and 8 behind-the-wheel hours.
• Before an intermediate license you need at least 50 hours of supervised driving, with at least 15 at night.
• The 50 hours must be with a licensed parent, guardian or adult at least 21.
• A parent or legal guardian signs a statement to OMV confirming the hours and a clean record on the permit.
• Schools have 120 days after the last classroom day to finish the 8 driving hours on the 38-hour course, or 90 days on the 14-hour course.
• Instructors may not give behind-the-wheel lessons between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. or drive students for more than 2 hours without a 15-minute break.

What the parent statement covers

When you apply for your intermediate license, a parent or legal guardian signs to say that you:

• completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 15 at night;
• had no at-fault crashes while on your learner's permit;
• had no moving violations on your permit;
• had no seat belt, curfew, drug or alcohol law violations.

Building the 50 hours

1. Start in empty parking lots: moving off, stopping smoothly, steering and backing.
2. Move to quiet neighborhood streets, then busier city roads with signals and turn lanes.
3. Add rural roads, parish and state highways, and interstates when you are ready, as driving schools are expected to do.
4. Spread the 15 night hours across different settings, including unlit rural roads.
5. Practice the graded road test skills: backing, parking between cars, signals, lane keeping and following distance.

Keeping the practice legal and useful

A learner's permit holder may not use a phone at all, even hands-free, so phones go out of reach before you start. Keeping a written record of dates and night hours makes signing the statement easy and honest. The deeper guide on this site, Louisiana drivers ed requirements and the 50 hour practice rule, has a full checklist.

Common mistakes

• Cramming the 50 hours into the last few weeks. Spread them over the full 180 days.
• Logging hours with the wrong supervisor. The parent statement covers hours driven with a licensed parent, guardian or adult 21 or older, so a friend or young sibling does not count.
• Skipping night practice until the end. Fifteen hours of darkness takes planning, especially in summer.
• Assuming driving school hours count toward the 50. Check with OMV before relying on them.

Test yourself: Supervised practice and driver education in Louisiana

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

Go deeper

• Louisiana Drivers Ed Requirements and the 50 Hour Practice Rule
• Louisiana Permit Practice Test
• How to Get a Driver’s License in Louisiana