Does your eligible teen have their Drivers' License?

[pigletto]

My daughter was incredibly anxious about driving. We put her through drivers Ed and one on one lessons but she never took the test. She wasn’t comfortable and didn’t want to. She’s 26 now and doesn’t mind not having it at all. My son got it as soon as he could ( also Covid shutdowns) and drives all the time.

He uses the bus up at University though and will hold off on getting his own car as long as he can. School and rent in the city he’s in is so expensive he doesn’t want to add vehicle costs and way more for insurance. He uses our car when he’s home and we pay for him on our policy as a secondary driver.

 

[kdonnel]

They are still giving the drivers test "Covid style" here.

The examiner watches from outside during the parking and maneuver part of the test. The child is alone in the car with the windows rolled down so they can hear the instructions.

For the road portion, a parent rides with the kid with a camera that is live streaming to the examiner. The examiner gives instructions over the camera.

It seems pointless and I feel like if this is how they are going to give the test, they should just not do the road test portion.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The examiner gives instructions over the camera.

On the plus side maybe it helps ingrain how to deal with distractions?

 

[mumto3girls]

I have three daughters who all got their permits on their 16th birthdays which was the soonest they could in our state. They had to have their permits for 6 months before being eligible to take their test for their license. Oldest did it at exactly 16 1/2, middle child was delayed due to Covid, youngest would be 16 1/2 on February 30th if there was one; the DMV is allowing her to test on Tuesday the 28th and she is scheduled and counting down the days. Her license will be a junior license—no driving after 11 pm, only 1 passenger. At 17 she can go to 3 passengers and I think, because she took a driver’s training course, if no tickets or accidents she can apply for her full license; otherwise she waits until 18.

My sister has a 21 year old and a 19 year old. Both have had permits, but neither have taken their tests and don’t seem to have much interest in driving. My oldest is 22 and my sister used to pay her babysitting wages plus a little extra for gas to drive her now 21 year old around. That ended went DD went to college. I think now he Ubers or uses public transportation which is a long walk for him. His sister goes to school in a city so public transportation is fine.

 

[DLgal]

They are still giving the drivers test "Covid style" here.

The examiner watches from outside during the parking and maneuver part of the test. The child is alone in the car with the windows rolled down so they can hear the instructions.

For the road portion, a parent rides with the kid with a camera that is live streaming to the examiner. The examiner gives instructions over the camera.

It seems pointless and I feel like if this is how they are going to give the test, they should just not do the road test portion.

That seems very inadequate. Wow. Even here in CA, during the height of covid, they did regular behind the wheel tests, just required open windows and masks to be worn.

 

[kyton]

Here in Australia it is a different system. At 16yo you can get your L’s after sitting a computerised test - you need to be chaperoned by a fully licensed driver and over a minimum of 12mths complete 120hrs of driving - all logged into a book and signed off by the supervising driver. You get credit hours if you do safe driving courses and / or have paid lessons. You can only drive to a maximum speed of 90klm on our highways where everyone else can drive at 110, other then that speed limit is the same as everyone else. You display a bright yellow L plate for every lesson.

At 17yo you can apply for your red P’s - provisional licence by completing a 45min driving test with a RMS Officer. This allows you to drive unsupervised. Your speed limits are the same as L platers and between 11pm and 5am you cannot have more then 1 non-relative in the car with you. This lasts 12mths. You display a white plate with a red P on it.

After “reds” you get your green P’s. Your speed increases to a maximum of 100 and the passenger limit goes away. You display a white plate with a green P on it and this stays in place for 24mths.

After all these years then you become fully licensed and normal road regulations apply.

Our daughter got her L’s straight away in 2021 on her 16th birthday however quickly felt overwhelmed and chose to stop doing lessons. Last year before she turned 17 she decided she wanted to start learning again so completed her hours by this January so she went for her P test and passed first go. I’m glad she held back, the extra 10ths let her know it wasn’t urgent and she could take her time. Now however she is hardly ever home LOL she loves driving herself wherever she needs to go.

We have a almost 16yo son (May this year) who is currently driving race cars in a US competition who will be the exact opposite - since he physically knows how to drive he will be at a huge advantage and more confident.

 

[PattnFmly]

My sons both got their permits after they turned 16 but the older one still only has his permit. He doesn't really care much about driving and didn't need to at college. Younger son went a few years with the permit but did get the license about the time he left for college. We live in a city with public transportation readily available so it's not terribly important. Older son is working on it in his own timeline and will probably be ready within the year.

 

[MrsPete]

I'm one of five siblings who turned 16 in the 1980s -- four of us got our licenses right away when we turned 16. One brother refused to get his because our parents required us to work /pay for our insurance, but we had no chance of getting a car of our own /were only allowed to use our parents' cars occasionally. That brother saw it as a "bad deal". Back then "everyone" had a license at 16, though not everyone had a car. I had only one friend who didn't have a license, and it was because her parents said she couldn't have it until 18.

My children turned 16 in the 2010s -- both got their licenses right away when they turned 16.

It's true that fewer of my students have licenses today -- but it doesn't feel like it's lack of interest; rather, it feels like it's about money. Insurance costs for a new driver are no joke, but a new driver (of any age) will pay those huge prices. Quite a few of my students are very open about driving without a license /insurance. Please be sure you're paying your uninsured motorist insurance!

 

[Ursula J]

I didn't present it as optional. She needs to be able to drive. I'm not driving her around forever, and ride shares are not a foolproof fallback.

 

[AussieFan8]

My daughter (21) has anxiety and was very anxious about driving. She reluctantly got her permit after she turned 16. We had her take a driver's ed class hoping it would help, and I think it did a little. She put off getting her license until she realized that meant she could drive to school; she hated the bus. She then went off to college that is about two hours down a very busy interstate from our home. She tried driving it once, but had a bit of a scary merge and now no longer drives that way. She did finally initiate driving a different way that takes about an hour longer. I am hopeful that driving back and forth to college and driving around her college town will give her more confidence in her driving so that at some point she'll try the interstate again.

 

[wenrob]

Is ride share an option where you live? How do they get around?

Their feet mostly.

To me driving is like swimming. It's a life skill that if you don't learn when your are with your family you most likely will never learn.

Who said they weren’t ever going to get their license?

 

[CamillaF]

Their feet mostly.

Who said they weren’t ever going to get their license?

I was reading a paper a few years ago that stated that if kids did not learn to drive before they left home there was a less then 50% chance that they would ever learn to drive. This was attributed to no longer having easy access to a car, or someone to teach them. So it's harder to learn. The adults that don't know how to drive generally live in cities where their friends do not have cars. Yes they can pay driving schools but it's expensive and time consuming. To me it's like swimming. If you don't learn as a kid the chance of you learning goes way down. Not that it's impossible to learn, just less likely.

 

[Skywalker3]

NO, my DD who is 18 does not, and seems intent not to, but she really needs to. I think now she's become way too nervous about it all. Never wanted to drive much, and didn't take the driver's ed class. If we can schedule it when she come back from college this semester, we will .
DS is 15, took driver's ed, and has driven some, and he intends to get his license when he's 16.
I know I'm guilty of not driving with either enough. It does make me very nervous in the passenger seat, so I know I contribute to the problem some what. I also didn't drive with my older son, (he's 33 now and driving all over, cross country, etc.) so he's managed to learn
Insurance rates were sky high in Louisiana, so I also waited until I was over 18 to drive, and for my older son, closer to 17. Tennessee rates are a lot better, but we will still have to pay a lot more to add the kids

 

[PrincesCJM]

I'm a high school teacher in very socially-economically diverse community in Maine. Probably 70% of kids go for their license within 1-2 months of their 16th birthday. Some kids can't afraid the $500+ it costs for drivers ed so they wait until they are 18 to take their permit test. Others, probably less than 10% has no interest in driving.

My kids aren't old enough to drive yet. But I do hope they want to have their licenses shortly after turning 16, otherwise I might have to push it. I just hope to be in a position to be able to buy them a car or gift them one of our old cars.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Here it’s the vehicle that is insured not the person. There is no”adding someone “ to your insurance.
We have government run insurance. Provinces with private insurance it’s probably different.

 

[DCLMP]

My youngest got his at 17, but he doesn't drive a whole lot. My oldest at 20 is too anxious to drive because of his sleep issues. He was also diagnosed with narcolepsy a couple of years ago. It's probably better that he doesn't. With lyft and Uber you can get by without it. These days it's cheaper to ride share than own a car and pay for gas.

 

[DCLMP]

NO, my DD who is 18 does not, and seems intent not to, but she really needs to. I think now she's become way too nervous about it all. Never wanted to drive much, and didn't take the driver's ed class. If we can schedule it when she come back from college this semester, we will .
DS is 15, took driver's ed, and has driven some, and he intends to get his license when he's 16.
I know I'm guilty of not driving with either enough. It does make me very nervous in the passenger seat, so I know I contribute to the problem some what. I also didn't drive with my older son, (he's 33 now and driving all over, cross country, etc.) so he's managed to learn
Insurance rates were sky high in Louisiana, so I also waited until I was over 18 to drive, and for my older son, closer to 17. Tennessee rates are a lot better, but we will still have to pay a lot more to add the kids

I'm a freaking basket driving with my son. It's like torture. I used to be very relaxed with other people driving and for some reason the older I get the more I become a back seat driver. Even my husband freaks me out at times.

 

[anniemae]

Does everyone buy their kids a car when they get their license? I see lots of DD's friends getting cars as soon as they get their license. Is this common? I know it's nice to give them independence so they can drive themselves to school and work etc., but we never intended to buy a car for her, maybe go half on a used one.

 

[disykat]

When I was that age, the only reasons not to get a license was financial, if your parents were super strict and just wouldn't allow it, or you had gotten in trouble and were trying to prove to your parents you were responsible enough. Everyone seemed to want one. Now it seems to be those reasons along with anxiety and apathy. I do think anxiety has increased among children and teens over the years and then with so many kids not getting their license it's easier to be apathetic about it.

My kids both wanted and got their licenses as soon as they were eligible. All four of my nieces and nephews chose not to. They all have anxiety issues. They did all eventually learn in their early 20's.

My siblings and I used one of the two vehicles we had at home, so if mom and dad were both at work we were out of luck. We did a lot of walking, but lived in a place where that was a reasonable option. I bought my first used car right after college.

We had good timing and were ready to replace a vehicle shortly before the oldest turned 16 so we kept it as an extra family car for the kids to drvie since our town is not very drivable. He drove it for two years with the agreement he would drive younger son to school daily and our other son got his license right before oldest left for college (where he didn't need a car because he lived on/near campus) and he drove it for the last two years of high school. Then when younger child went to college the oldest got it back to drive to internships from his college. The timing worked out perfectly to trade it back and forth based on who needed it. It was never THEIR car, it was a family car they were allowed to use. Eventually DH needed a new truck so we signed over an old vehicle of about the same value to each of them when they graduated. (and they got the joy of owning and paying for insurance and maintenance!) They both drove them for a few years after college before replacing them so, while not very glamourous, it was a good deal for them. I NEVER wanted to just give them a car, but this turned out to be a good compromise. There were only about 6 months where we were paying insurance on FOUR (!) vehicles.

 

[MillauFr]

It is the cost for drivers education that prevents many teens from getting licenses here. None of the high schools offer subsidized classes any longer.