Depending on where you live in the US, your child can get a learner’s permit from the age of 14 upwards. There are a lot of benefits of your teen learning how to drive, even at this age. Being able to drive gives them a lot more freedom and can give you more freedom as well, as you don’t necessarily have to ferry them everywhere anymore.
Your child can also take on more responsibilities in the household. A permit allows them to potentially go grocery shopping, take their siblings to school, or go to work. While our kids aren’t put on this earth to become servants, chores teach them more independence and gets them used to managing their time.
So, if your child wants to learn how to drive, how can you support them as they learn?
When Your Child Should Start Driving
First, it’s up to you to determine whether your child should start driving. The legal age for a learner’s permit is one thing, but you also need to judge how ready they are. Some teenagers are already fairly responsible and able to be trusted in emergencies, but other teenagers are at different stages of their development.
Teenagers aren’t the same as adults. They often have poorer judgement and impulse control. Teenagers also have less experience in pretty much every scenario, so they might not make the best choices.
You know your kids better than anyone, so you will know if they’re responsible enough to be trusted in a car. A car can do a lot of damage if the driver makes poor decisions, and can potentially ruin or even end lives.
Make sure that your kids know that, while a car provides freedom, it also represents additional responsibilities. Talk about how much it will cost to not only learn how to drive, but also to buy, insure, and run a vehicle. Some parents cover all of these costs, while other parents choose to encourage their kids to take some of all of the expense on.
Should You Teach Your Kid Yourself?
Another question parents often have when their kids learn to drive is who should teach them. There are two options.
Either you, or a trusted family member or friend, can teach your teen. Or you can hire a driving instructor to do it.
As a general rule, being taught by parents or even another relative can be even more stressful for teenagers, so they might be more likely to make mistakes. There’s also the fact that you’d have to teach them in your car, which doesn’t have dual controls, and you probably aren’t a trained driving instructor. Knowing how to drive doesn’t mean you know how to teach someone to drive.
Driving tests often include specific manouvers that your teenager would have to demonstrate, so if you forget to teach them something you don’t use often, they could fail.
Driving instructors, on the other hand, have the right training and resources to teach people how to drive safely. The biggest downside with an instructor is the cost. It can be very expensive to learn to drive, which is often what puts people off.
Another option is to get the best of both worlds. There’s nothing stopping you from having a driving instructor and also going on practice drives with your teenager. In fact, more driving is better, because it builds up their confidence and makes them more likely to pass the driving test.
Teaching Safe Practices
Even if you don’t teach your child how to drive, you can still teach them safe driving practices. When you drive the family car, make sure you don’t do anything unsafe that your teen might pick up on.
Talk to them about the potential dangers of driving, especially when the weather is bad or if they’re impaired. Remember, kids can be stupid, and they can think they’re invincible. They’re more likely to engage in dangerous driving or even drunk driving.
As well as potentially hurting someone, breaking the law while driving can have financial and legal consequences. Make sure your teen understands these consequences and, if they do something wrong, think carefully about how you’ll deal with it. Shielding your child completely might not be possible or the best option.
Your Teen’s First Car
While you can insure your teen on the family car, getting them a car of their own might allow more freedom. You don’t want to get a flashy or expensive car, and it’s a good idea to look at how much the insurance of different cars might cost.
Balance the pros and cons of a new or pre-owned car for your teen. A new car might be more reliable, but as your child is inexperienced, a pre-owned car might be cheaper to fix and, if they do dent or scratch it, it won’t lose as much value.
You should also determine early on who is responsible for the cost of the car. Many parents buy the car for their teen, but it’s legally their car, and they’re also insured on it. But if your teen wants ultimate control over their car, they have the option of buying it themselves, especially if they have an income.
Setting Boundaries and Responsibilities
A car can represent a lot of things, including more freedom for your teen. They can drive themselves to school, to work, to extracurricular activities, and to more fun events. But this freedom can lead to issues if they misuse it.
Make sure to set boundaries for your child and consider introducing new responsibilities if they can drive. They can help with more household chores, for example. Boundaries might include a curfew or a way for you to know where your kids are or when you expect them to be home. As well as boundaries, establish consequences if they’re crossed.
It’s important to think about what’s appropriate for your child and your household. Some parents can be more permissive with their kids, and there’s not necessarily a right or wrong way to set these boundaries.
