DD15 Got Her Learner's Permit!!!!

[Anne34]

Yes, I love the NC laws. She's had 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of varied on the road training with an instructor - she was on the highway by the second day!! For the learner's permit, she had to show two different forms filled out by the parent and the instructor, a transcript from her school showing that she was enrolled and not on academic probation, a Social Security card, and her birth certificate. She had to pass vision, sign and written tests today.

She can drive with me or another licensed driver of at least 5 years for the next year - from 5am until 9 opm only for the first 6 months, then anytime.

After a year she'll take the road test and get a full provisional license. She will be able to drive by herself until 9pm. After 6 months the 9pm restriction comes off and she can drive anytime.

She graduates from a provisional license to a full license when she is 18, I believe.

Illinois is pretty much the same. My DD got her permit on her 15th birthday and was so excited. She has been driving for a couple months now and does pretty well (except on the street where everyone goes 10 over and she does the speed limit -- I am so afraid of getting rear ended!!)

The only difference is that in IL you can have one passenger in the car for the first year (unless it is siblings -- then you can have all of them). I think our cut-off is 10pm for her to be driving alone.

 

[DawnCt1]

The traffic in the northeast is pretty congested and DH and I were quite comfortable with postponing the drivers' license until the age of 18 for all four boys. They got their learners permits at 16 and had two years of practice driving. 16 is too young to be out on the road for most kids. By postponing licensing from 16 to 17, the chances of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%. I read that in a publication sent by USAA years ago and that was enough for me.

 

[LisaNJ25]

The traffic in the northeast is pretty congested and DH and I were quite comfortable with postponing the drivers' license until the age of 18 for all four boys. They got their learners permits at 16 and had two years of practice driving. 16 is too young to be out on the road for most kids. By postponing licensing from 16 to 17, the chances of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%. I read that in a publication sent by USAA years ago and that was enough for me.

I am postponing my sons also until he is 18. I could not imagine letting one of my kids drive at 15

 

[Cool-Beans]

Congrats!

I lost my second licensed driver to college last fall. I KNEW it was going to suck not having any kids who drove again...and it really does. But in less than a year, I'll have another. These months will be the last ones I have with kids in the house, but none driving.

It's SO GREAT when they drive. A little scary at first, of course (especially when you're in the car at their mercy), but it's one of the rewards of having teens. Probably THE best.

 

[MichelleVW]

Congrats!

I lost my second licensed driver to college last fall. I KNEW it was going to suck not having any kids who drove again...and it really does. But in less than a year, I'll have another. These months will be the last ones I have with kids in the house, but none driving.

It's SO GREAT when they drive. A little scary at first, of course (especially when you're in the car at their mercy), but it's one of the rewards of having teens. Probably THE best.

My oldest is going to college next fall and DD15 needs to get her license as soon as she can (turns 16 in Feb). The bus system around here sucks and I do not want to be driving her to school and back every day next year!!

I can't imagine the taxi driver I would be if my DD17 didn't drive and have her own car. I tell her all the time that she has a car for MY benefit, not hers...

 

[DVCLiz]

Oh my gosh, I can't imagine making a kid wait until he or she is 18!!!! That is so different from what I am used to here in NC - it would be miserable to have to wait that long. The statistics in NC are actually pretty good, I think - we have one of the best records of teen drivers because the program is graduated.

All things being equal - grades, behavior, etc. - I'd much rather have a younger teen, properly supervised, learning and then getting a license - as opposed to an older teen who has certainly been chomping at the bit and can't wait to get out there on the road. My feeling would be that an older teen would be much more likely to have lost that "shock and awe" that my daughter has right now over the fact that she is actually being allowed to drive, and therefore is following the rules so very carefully. I would think an older teen would have more of a "yeah, yeah, I know" attitude about it.

I can't imagine willingly making a kid wait and doing all that driving myself!!! I am talking about around town and back and forth to school, driving, though - some of you might have much more congested conditions.

In my group of parents there are always one or two who won't let their kids take driver's ed "on time" and I know the kids have to be miserable. It doesn't seem fair to me - again, all things being equal and no real outstanding reason for it. That would be an example of helicopter parenting where I live.

 

[allison443]

By postponing licensing from 16 to 17, the chances of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%.

I know it's late and maybe I'm misunderstanding this--if the chance of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%, doesn't that mean it would be 0 chance? So by getting a license at 17 you have NO chance of having a fatal accident? That can't be right can it? What does this statistic mean?

 

[golfgal]

Congrats!

I lost my second licensed driver to college last fall. I KNEW it was going to suck not having any kids who drove again...and it really does. But in less than a year, I'll have another. These months will be the last ones I have with kids in the house, but none driving.

It's SO GREAT when they drive. A little scary at first, of course (especially when you're in the car at their mercy), but it's one of the rewards of having teens. Probably THE best.

We will run into this when DS16 goes off to college too. Our twins won't get their license until the spring of DS's freshman year in college so we will have to start running the carpool again.

 

[DVCLiz]

We will run into this when DS16 goes off to college too. Our twins won't get their license until the spring of DS's freshman year in college so we will have to start running the carpool again.

Wish me luck, everyone - we're out the door on her first drive to school!!!!

 

[DawnCt1]

I know it's late and maybe I'm misunderstanding this--if the chance of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%, doesn't that mean it would be 0 chance? So by getting a license at 17 you have NO chance of having a fatal accident? That can't be right can it? What does this statistic mean?

I am guessing that if between the ages of 17 and 18, 20 teens are killed on the highway, than between 16 and 17, that number would be 40. I don't know how they came up with that number. I read it 14 years ago. Once you make a decision with your first to postpone the license, the rest is easy. The first, second and third lobby very strongly for the next youngest to wait. By the time DS#4 asked for his license at 16, he had three brothers who said, "no way"!
I can't imagine wanting any of my children to get their license for MY convenience. I drove them for the first 16 years, what is two more in the scheme of things?

 

[LisaNJ25]

Oh my gosh, I can't imagine making a kid wait until he or she is 18!!!! That is so different from what I am used to here in NC - it would be miserable to have to wait that long. The statistics in NC are actually pretty good, I think - we have one of the best records of teen drivers because the program is graduated.

All things being equal - grades, behavior, etc. - I'd much rather have a younger teen, properly supervised, learning and then getting a license - as opposed to an older teen who has certainly been chomping at the bit and can't wait to get out there on the road. My feeling would be that an older teen would be much more likely to have lost that "shock and awe" that my daughter has right now over the fact that she is actually being allowed to drive, and therefore is following the rules so very carefully. I would think an older teen would have more of a "yeah, yeah, I know" attitude about it.

I can't imagine willingly making a kid wait and doing all that driving myself!!! I am talking about around town and back and forth to school, driving, though - some of you might have much more congested conditions.

In my group of parents there are always one or two who won't let their kids take driver's ed "on time" and I know the kids have to be miserable. It doesn't seem fair to me - again, all things being equal and no real outstanding reason for it. That would be an example of helicopter parenting where I live.

I am the furthest thing from a helicopter parent. For me its about maturity. As of this point I dont think my 16 year old is mature enough to handle it. I am sure he will tell you otherwise lol. Now my mind may change age wise with my other 3 but with him right now no. I expect him to have part time job to pay for his insurance. He has absolutely no interest in working. If he wants to be "miserable" so be it. Driving is a privilege.. not a right.

 

[DVCLiz]

I am guessing that if between the ages of 17 and 18, 20 teens are killed on the highway, than between 16 and 17, that number would be 40. I don't know how they came up with that number. I read it 14 years ago. Once you make a decision with your first to postpone the license, the rest is easy. The first, second and third lobby very strongly for the next youngest to wait. By the time DS#4 asked for his license at 16, he had three brothers who said, "no way"!
I can't imagine wanting any of my children to get their license for MY convenience. I drove them for the first 16 years, what is two more in the scheme of things?

I agree that older siblings who didn't get a particualr privilege are the best guard against having to make a different decision for a younger sibling!!!!! Mine keep very detailed mental lists of who got to do what when!!!

But, I don't agree that wanting my teen to have her license because it is convenient for me is a bad thing. In fact, it's one of the reasons I am so willing to let her begin to learn. There have been a lot of things over the years it would have been easier and more efficient to do myself - from letting her take the time she needed to try to tie her shoes for the fourth time all the way to getting to school this morning. But I'm not the kind of mom who operates like that. I see it as letting her try something for herself - at the natural time, at least in our town, that her peers are doing it as well - and if my convenience is a side benefit so much the better.

I am the furthest thing from a helicopter parent. For me its about maturity. As of this point I dont think my 16 year old is mature enough to handle it. I am sure he will tell you otherwise lol. Now my mind may change age wise with my other 3 but with him right now no. I expect him to have part time job to pay for his insurance. He has absolutely no interest in working. If he wants to be "miserable" so be it. Driving is a privilege.. not a right.

I didn't say you were a helicopter parent - I said the one or two moms in my circle of friends who won't let their kids take driver's ed when everybody else does would be considered helicopter moms. I don't care what decision you make about your own child. I also said "all things being equal" and maturity is certainly a factor there. All things being equal, a child who makes good decisions, keeps up in school, and has the maturity to proceed with good sense should be allowed to take driver's ed and get permits and licenses when the law says they can. If any of those factors are missing, it's a whole different ball game.

Anyway, we made it safely to school and she was thrilled with herself - it was raining pretty heavily so she was amazed I would let her drive with headlights and windshield wipers!!

I'm off for the day, so everyone drive safely!!

 

[mjkacmom]

I like that NJ is late, and has the graduated system. My oldest is only 12, and sure, it would be great to have another driver around, since I am a taxi mom, but the statistics scare me.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.
3,490 drivers age 15-20 died in car crashes in 2006, up slightly from 2005.
Drivers age 15-20 accounted for 12.9 percent of all the drivers involved in fatal crashes and 16 percent of all the drivers involved in police-reported crashes in 2006.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates the economic impact of auto accidents involving 15-20 year old drivers is over $40 billion.

 

[MichelleVW]

In my group of parents there are always one or two who won't let their kids take driver's ed "on time" and I know the kids have to be miserable. It doesn't seem fair to me - again, all things being equal and no real outstanding reason for it. That would be an example of helicopter parenting where I live.

My DD17 has a friend that was allowed too much freedom in middle school. She had weird rules, she could walk home from the movies on a dark night with boys, but she wasn't allowed to go to the band concert because her dad had a bad experience at one when he was in school. She got pregnant at age 15 and had a baby the first week of her sophomore year, she was 15, had a baby, but her dad wouldn't let her take driver's ed until she was 17. That seemed a little late for me to get "parental" about the rules!! I know she hated that she had to wait.

I can't imagine wanting any of my children to get their license for MY convenience. I drove them for the first 16 years, what is two more in the scheme of things?

It's not a bad thing and I don't know how we could have gotten along if DD17 didn't have her license and own car. At 16 she was a cheerleader and had a job, I also had a full time job and horses to take care of after work. There was no way that I could have picked her up after cheer and drove her to work, and then gone back and picked her up after work. That would have been crazy.

We've also gone away and left the girls alone for the weekend and DD17 took DD15 to her riding lessons. We could have never left them alone if she didn't have her license.

In my opinion it gives her controlled driving experience before she goes to college. She's been driving in small towns and on the highway for awhile now and I am slowly letting her venture further into the city. I let her drive to a mall in Ft Worth one night and I was a nervous wreck, but she was fine. I won't let her drive in Dallas just yet, but Dallas traffic is so crazy that I don't like to drive in it!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

The traffic in the northeast is pretty congested and DH and I were quite comfortable with postponing the drivers' license until the age of 18 for all four boys. They got their learners permits at 16 and had two years of practice driving. 16 is too young to be out on the road for most kids. By postponing licensing from 16 to 17, the chances of a fatal accident is reduced by 100%. I read that in a publication sent by USAA years ago and that was enough for me.

I couldn't agree more. I need to check on VA laws. I'm guessing kids have to be 15 1/2 for a permit here? DS will start at school during the second semester this year. What on earth are these states thinking giving kids permits at 15? I've had my moments already when I'd like to send him off to the food store for a few things, but it can wait a few years. NOT looking forward to this.