What the rule actually says
For the intermediate license, you sign off on 50 hours of supervised practice, including a minimum of 10 hours at night. The supervising driver has to be a licensed driver with at least 5 years of experience, and a qualified driving instructor also counts.
How to track them without losing your mind
A simple log beats a perfect one you never fill in. Keep a sheet in the glovebox or a notes app and jot the date, minutes, and whether it was day or night after each drive. The errands you already run count: grocery trips, school pickup, the drive to practice. You will hit 50 faster than it sounds.
How to make the hours count
Fifty easy hours on quiet streets is not the same as 50 useful ones. Mix it up on purpose:
- Rain, dusk, and dark, not just sunny afternoons. Western Washington tests all three.
- Freeway merging on I-5 and 405, parking lots, and tight neighborhood streets.
- The exact maneuvers on the skills test: parallel parking, backing around a corner, hill parking.
The behind-the-wheel hours in drivers ed are separate from your 50 and are where a certified instructor fixes the habits a parent might not catch.