Behind the Wheel
What requirements must be met to register for Behind the Wheel classes?
Students must have:
Valid Virginia Learner’s permit
The student and a parent/guardian must attend a “Partners for Safe Teen Driving” (PSTD) presentation. This presentation is a classroom requirement and must be completed before the student can take in-car instruction. The PSTD schedule can be found on the LCPS website (academics tab) and on the school HPE web pages.
Tenth-grade students who are currently enrolled in classroom driver education must have attended a Partners for Safe Teen Driving presentation and completed half of the classroom curriculum (through Module 5), with an “A” or “B” average to be eligible to take BTW.
BTW is available to 11th and 12th graders who have passed classroom Driver Education (which includes attendance at a Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation).
Students who took Driver's Education at another school must provide LRHS with a copy of their DEC-8 card. These can only be issued by the school where Driver's Education was taken.
How do I register for Behind the Wheel?
Complete Loudoun County Public Schools BTW registration form.
Payments of $225.00 paid online through the Lightridge Payment Portal.
Once the top two steps are completed, you will be contacted by a Behind-the-Wheel instructor to set up your dates.
Complete Parent Permission form to Issue 180 Day Temporary Driving License.
Complete the 45-hour driving log.
On your first day of behind the wheel, please bring your learner's permit, Parent Permission form, and driving log to give to your instructor.
Who teaches the Behind the Wheel classes?
Loudoun County Public School employees with a driver's education endorsement teach all Behind the Wheel sessions.
How many days must my child go to class?
Behind the Wheel classes meet for seven weekdays, two hours each day.
When are the classes held?
BTW is offered before school and during the summer months.
Please note: The Code of Virginia prohibits Driver Education instruction on Sunday for all public schools.
What if I register for a class and want to drop the class and get a refund?
Your written request must be received at least TWO business days prior to the class start date.
The following information must be on your signed, written request: parent name, student name, student PID number, home address, phone number, and the reason you are requesting the refund. Your request can be given to the school’s secretary for processing.
Will the teacher pick up my child at my house?
No. Transportation to and from school is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Students depart and return from all LCPS high schools.
Where should my child meet the driving instructor for the class?
Driver Education vehicles are parked in a specific area at each school. For Lightridge, this is right next to the athletic lobby and main stadium.
What driving experiences will my child get in the Behind the Wheel class?
Lessons cover vehicle control skills and driving in residential, rural, city, and interstate highway settings.\
Topics include vehicle familiarization; vision and perception; vehicle motion and balance; seating position; steering; braking; accelerating; safety devices; yielding; lane position; lane changes; backing up; intersection; signs; signals and road markings; parallel, perpendicular, and angle parking; turnabouts; speed control; vehicle and driver licensing requirements; traffic flow situations; vehicle space management; multi-lane traffic management; passing and overtaking; precision vehicle maneuvers; destination driving; organ donation; chemical use and abuse; responsible driving; vehicle malfunctions; collisions; driving in adverse weather conditions; insurance; roadway systems; working with other roadway users; conservation of resources.
Students MUST be paired with another student driver for all seven sessions. Students wishing to be paired with a friend should make us aware when registering.
During each session, the student will spend half the time driving, and the other half observing another student driver. Students will receive instruction while driving and while observing.
Students will drive in various environments. Each session will be progressively more challenging than the last.
The seventh and final session will consist of the Road Skills Evaluation. If the student passes the evaluation, they will be eligible to receive their Temporary Driver’s License (students who meet all other requirements can receive their TDL at the conclusion of their evaluation).
Does my child have to go to the DMV to take the road test?
No, the course includes the administration of the DMV-approved road test.
What criteria must my child meet in order to obtain a Virginia Driver’s license?
Juvenile drivers will receive provisional licenses if they meet the following criteria:
Are at least 16 years and 3 months old.
Have held a learner’s permit for 9 months.
Have successfully completed the classroom portion of the driver's education program.
Have attended a 90-minute Partners for Safe Teen Driving presentation with a parent/guardian.
Have successfully taken and passed the 14-lesson Behind the Wheel course.
Have provided a driving log to the Behind the Wheel instructor, with parent/guardian signature, certifying that the student has driven for 45 hours, 15 hours of which are after sunset. A sample 45-hour driving log is provided.
Have a parent/guardian signature on the PPF-16 form certifying that the student will be properly insured on the date his/her provisional license is issued.
All students must have their permit with them in order to participate in any behind-the-wheel instruction. Failure to have the permit will be treated as a "no-show." If the student must repeat a road test, a $10 retest fee will be charged. All make-up sessions must be satisfactorily completed in order to receive a certificate of completion.
What are the restrictions that a juvenile driver must follow?
As a juvenile licensed driver, the child must abide by the following restrictions while operating a motor vehicle:
§ 46.2-334.01. Licenses issued to persons less than 19 years old subject to certain restrictions.
The initial license issued to any person younger than 18 years of age shall be deemed a provisional driver's license.
Until the holder is 18 years old, a provisional driver's license shall not authorize its holder to operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger who is less than 21 years old, unless the driver is accompanied by a parent or person acting in loco parentis provided that such person accompanying the driver is occupying the seat beside the driver and is lawfully permitted to operate a motor vehicle at the time.
After the first year, the provisional license is issued, the holder may operate a motor vehicle with up to three passengers who are less than 21 years old when:
the holder is driving to or from a school-sponsored activity, or
a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age is occupying the seat beside the driver, or
in cases of emergency.
This passenger limitation, however, shall not apply to members of the driver's family or household. For the purposes of this subsection, "a member of the driver's family or household" means any of the following:
the driver's spouse, children, stepchildren, brothers, sisters, half-brothers, half-sisters, and any individual who has a child in common with the driver, whether or not they reside in the same home with the driver;
the driver's brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law who reside in the same home with the driver; and
any individual who cohabits with the driver, and any children of such individual residing in the same home with the driver.
When will my child be licensed?
At the end of the class, your child will be given a 180-day Temporary Provisional Driver’s License (TDL-180), if all the Virginia licensing requirements have been met.
When accompanied by a valid Virginia Learner's Permit, the TDL-180 serves as a temporary license for 6 months.
If the licensing criteria cannot be certified at the end of the Behind the Wheel class, the temporary license will be held at your student’s school until the requirements have been met and further direction is received from the parent/guardian.
What if I believe that my child is not ready to drive or if I do not want him/her to be licensed when he/she is eligible?
As a parent/guardian, you have the final authority to determine if your child is capable of handling the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle without adult supervision.
If you decide that your child is not ready for this responsibility or if you cannot ensure your child, do not sign the TDL-180.
The paperwork will be held at the student’s school until we receive further direction from you (the parent/guardian).
When do we go to the DMV to obtain the permanent license?
You do not need to go to the DMV to receive the permanent license.
In accordance with the code of Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles will send your child’s license to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court that serves the student’s zip code. It is very important that DMV has the student’s correct home address for the learner’s permit.
You will be notified through the mail as to when to attend the licensing ceremony. This notice usually is received during the last 30 days of the temporary license.
In Loudoun County Public Schools, the court meets at Heritage High School, 520 Evergreen Mill Road, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175.