Deciding whether now is the time for your teen to learn how to drive can be a difficult decision for many parents.
In looking at the benefits of your son or daughter learning how to drive, several stand out.
Along with taking on an important responsibility in life, your teen also is freer to come and go. As a result, they are less dependent on you to get them from place to place.
On the flip side, you may worry more times than not about their safety when they are behind the wheel. Even if their driving is fine, you have other drivers on the roads that may be less than stellar behind the wheel.
So, is now the time for your teen to learn how to drive?
Making Sure Your Teen is Safe
If you drive ahead with allowing your teen to drive, remember a few important keys:
- Responsibility – Your teen needs to be responsible for their actions behind the wheel. This means making sure they understand that driving is a privilege and not a right. They not only have their own life at stake, but also the lives of countless other individuals. If your teen is not responsible with their life, then now may not be the best time to go after a permit and a license. In covering that responsibility, it is crucial your teen never drinks and drives. Underage drinking is bad enough. It can be much worse when a teen is driving.
- Vehicle – Will your teen have their own vehicle or will they be using a family car or truck? Either way, it is imperative that the vehicle meet all safety standards. If you opt to buy your son or daughter a used vehicle, make sure in checking cars for sale that you research them. This means the vehicle you consider buying for them is as safe as possible. From the braking system to the tires the vehicle rides on, have a certified mechanic give it a full check.
- Distractions – As part of responsibility, your teen can’t have distractions when driving. Even taking their eyes off the road for a second to answer a text, make a call, put on makeup in the rear-view mirror can be bad.
Putting Trust in Your Teenager
As worried as you might be about your teen driving note that he or she has worked to gain your trust over time. As such, they will leave you feeling better about the decision to let them learn to drive.
Keep in mind that teens driving vehicles is all a part of the natural growing up process. Given you likely did it when you were your son or daughter’s age, there is nothing unusual about wanting to drive.
The important thing is to keep the responsibility factor in place from day one. Set rules in place from taking care of the vehicle to making sure they are home on time.
While driving is freedom, being responsible is something they must drive off with.
