Does your eligible teen have their Drivers' License?

[mjkacmom]

Washington State won't give you a license unless you do drivers ed.

NJ allows it, but you have to wait until you are 18, I believe. If they are 16 1/2 they have to pay for the 6 hours and then they get their permit.

 

[Kitty 34]

My sons (now 42, 34, and 36) all learned to drive and got their licenses at 16. With their savings and a little pitched in by us parents they bought their first "clunkers". I loved it because now I didn't have to take them to and from practices anymore and because DH worked 2nd shift they could run errands after school for me. It was a win win situation for us.

Now me.....I didn't drive until I was 23 as I had gone to school in the Chicago area and we had the EL or our feet to get us around.

 

[mjkacmom]

Whether she ever said it or not, I believe there were reasons your MIL wanted to buy new other than to just buy new.

I know a HUGE factor in what cars my kids drove during high school was reliability. Selfishly I did not want to have to deal with picking my kids up off the side of a road and dealing with getting a car towed. As a result my kids both started out driving a family car that was known to be very reliable. In both cases I switched to driving the family car known to be less reliable.

Perhaps that was also a reason your MIL insisted on new that was just never communicated out loud.

And even if her only reason was new cars are best, it is her money and her reasoning.

I personally have only ever bought new cars. I know financially it is not the best decision but for me it is the right decision.

We do not buy new cars for ourselves, and we buy beaters for the kids to share. All are gifted AAA memberships which comes in handy when you are driving 15+ year old cars. My 26 year old was budgeting for an apartment, just put $1000 into her civic, she commented that at least she doesn’t have to worry about buying a car a time soon, pretty optimistic for an owner of a 2007.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Whether she ever said it or not, I believe there were reasons your MIL wanted to buy new other than to just buy new.

I know a HUGE factor in what cars my kids drove during high school was reliability. Selfishly I did not want to have to deal with picking my kids up off the side of a road and dealing with getting a car towed. As a result my kids both started out driving a family car that was known to be very reliable. In both cases I switched to driving the family car known to be less reliable.

Perhaps that was also a reason your MIL insisted on new that was just never communicated out loud.

And even if her only reason was new cars are best, it is her money and her reasoning.

I personally have only ever bought new cars. I know financially it is not the best decision but for me it is the right decision.

But even if you're talking about reliability you don't have to get new. My car that I got was 3 years old had 54,000 miles when I bought it and I still own and drive that vehicle 17 years later. Like I said my sister-in-law has had more issues on her luxury cars. You would absolutely 100% be picking her up from the side of the road. Me? Eh eventually.

I am completely down for people saying "hey I thought of all these reasons why I preferred this car over that car" because absolutely they are big to think about. But when you don't care about things so much as the idea that brand new (as in you're the only owner) is the only way to go that's a different thing. If you're looking at features you're often looking at model and model years and sometimes new isn't even the best option (such as the kia and hyunadai issues affecting recent model years).

Don't think I haven't thought of all the other reasons but unfortunately the reality hasn't played out like all the other scenarios out there one could come up with at the insistence to purchase new cars for new young drivers. If you're looking at reliability the Corolla they owned (and they also had a Camry before) were more reliable and more safe than the scion tc and lancers. Camry/Corolla have stood the test of time (although not without theft concerns).

 

[AussieFan8]

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.

It is tough - I tried to drive with my daughter mostly because my husband would get even more nervous than I would and so she didn't want to drive with him at all. I tried to stay calm but I'm sure my anxiety was visible. The fact that I knew she wasn't very comfortable driving did not help my anxiety. That was what I loved so much about the driver's ed class we found - it gave her some hours of experience without her parents. I really wish our local high schools still had the semester-long driver's ed classes. I think they are sorely needed, especially since there seems to be so much anxiety around driving these days. Yes, you can Uber places, but you can't Uber three hours to another city to visit friends, etc.

 

[sam_gordon]

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.

We did.
Oldest DD got a 2009 model in 2015. This was about a year after she got her unrestricted license.
DS took over my 2006 model when I purchased a "new to me" car in 2020(?). Again, about a year after he got his unrestricted.
Youngest DD got a 2007 model late last year. A couple of months after she got her restricted. My mom actually gave her most of the money for the car, we threw in a little, and DD threw in a little. Since she's working and doesn't always mesh with DW or my schedule, getting her a car made sense.

 

[mumto3girls]

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.

We did for the oldest two, but mostly for our convenience. We were working and they were working and it was a big enough hassle getting them to their jobs when they were still on their permits and couldn’t drive themselves. Youngest DD takes her test Tuesday. She is making a lot of noise about a car which I understand, but DH has been looking and used car prices are crazy. The prices right now plus the fact that middle DD did not take her car to college makes me inclined to really take our time on purchasing something for her although summer is coming fast and they will both be working. I still think the four of us should be able to share 3 cars if we need to for a while.

 

[mousefan73]

I am curious how it works today with teens. Do the high schools still have driver's ed? Back in my days circa 199E0 verybody basially had drivers ed.. Cannot recall any who didnt. Costs a small fee maybe... I recall our teacher ( was our PE and health ) even had Sat. driving hours. Everyone then on their 16th Bday did the right of passage to the DMV and took their test. Have things changed?

I can only say/recommend. Had your kid do it as soon as they can before life gets too crazy and busy. It was stress enought with our kids at 16,5 (driving age is 18 officially, with 17 they take their test and get their license but valid only with parents, once they turn 18 they can drive on their own) My son is finishing school and starting college and I cannot imagine having to do this process now.

Unless one lives in a city with public transport, not sure how these kids are doing it without being a burden to others.. I know our employer for every job posting by the small print has it a requiredment to have a valid license.

 

[mousefan73]

we have two kids 16 and 17.. right now the plan is not to get them cars... 1. I work from home now most of the time so we usually have a car not in use anyways 2. Who knows where the journey goes.. if they go to school or do a program in a city, there will be no need for a car anyways.

 

[sam_gordon]

I am curious how it works today with teens. Do the high schools still have driver's ed? Back in my days circa 199E0 verybody basially had drivers ed.. Cannot recall any who didnt. Costs a small fee maybe... I recall our teacher ( was our PE and health ) even had Sat. driving hours. Everyone then on their 16th Bday did the right of passage to the DMV and took their test. Have things changed?

I can only say/recommend. Had your kid do it as soon as they can before life gets too crazy and busy. It was stress enought with our kids at 16,5 (driving age is 18 officially, with 17 they take their test and get their license but valid only with parents, once they turn 18 they can drive on their own) My son is finishing school and starting college and I cannot imagine having to do this process now.

Unless one lives in a city with public transport, not sure how these kids are doing it without being a burden to others.. I know our employer for every job posting by the small print has it a requiredment to have a valid license.

My HS offered drivers ed, but my parents sent me to a "private" drivers ed school.
I think it was offered for my oldest DD at the HS the kids' attended, but we didn't take advantage of it. DS learned during covid and of course things were shut down. Younger DD I didn't even bother looking at the school. I taught all three of them (with a little help from DW).

 

[DCLMP]

we have two kids 16 and 17.. right now the plan is not to get them cars... 1. I work from home now most of the time so we usually have a car not in use anyways 2. Who knows where the journey goes.. if they go to school or do a program in a city, there will be no need for a car anyways.

A big problem right now is the cost of cars. It's been ridiculous since 2020. Of course gas prices too.

 

[mousefan73]

A big problem right now is the cost of cars. It's been ridiculous since 2020. Of course gas prices too.

That's true too. Thank God we hadnt had to look into it as all signals are leading the kids wont need their own cars for a while. My son is also very mobile using his E-mountain bike.. which is often faster than car traffic.

 

[Disneylover99]

I am curious how it works today with teens. Do the high schools still have driver's ed? Back in my days circa 199E0 verybody basially had drivers ed.. Cannot recall any who didnt. Costs a small fee maybe... I recall our teacher ( was our PE and health ) even had Sat. driving hours. Everyone then on their 16th Bday did the right of passage to the DMV and took their test. Have things changed?

They haven't offered Drivers Ed. in highschools around me in years. Back in the early/mid 80’s, there were groups of 4 or 5 teens in one car doing Drivers Ed. together. I guess you didn’t get much individual practise time with your instructor.

Drivers Ed. is fairly pricey these days. Some do it for car insurance discounts. But many just learn from their parents.

 

[mumto3girls]

I am curious how it works today with teens. Do the high schools still have driver's ed? Back in my days circa 199E0 verybody basially had drivers ed.. Cannot recall any who didnt. Costs a small fee maybe... I recall our teacher ( was our PE and health ) even had Sat. driving hours. Everyone then on their 16th Bday did the right of passage to the DMV and took their test. Have things changed?

I can only say/recommend. Had your kid do it as soon as they can before life gets too crazy and busy. It was stress enought with our kids at 16,5 (driving age is 18 officially, with 17 they take their test and get their license but valid only with parents, once they turn 18 they can drive on their own) My son is finishing school and starting college and I cannot imagine having to do this process now.

Unless one lives in a city with public transport, not sure how these kids are doing it without being a burden to others.. I know our employer for every job posting by the small print has it a requiredment to have a valid license.

I had driver’s Ed in high school back in the 80’s. It was a semester class (I think it only met 2-3 days per week though) and some car instruction time with the teacher during non-school hours. You still took your permit test at the DMV and your road test at the DMV. My kids go to a neighboring district from mine and driver’s Ed is not offered. You can send your kids to driving school at your own expense. There is one here that is “recommended” by the district. There is an in-class portion that can be done in person or online and then 6 hours of practice driving with an instructor. That in person instructor administers the road test at the end of the 6 hours although the kids still take the written permit test at the DMV. My kids all did the driving school. That does get us a discount on our insurance and allows the kids to get their unrestricted license at 17 instead of 18 if they have no at fault accidents or moving violations. Plus the kids tend to be more comfortable taking the test with the instructor they have been driving with on roads they are familiar with as opposed to a state trooper at the DMV that they have never met before on a course that is unfamiliar.

 

[kdonnel]

I am curious how it works today with teens. Do the high schools still have driver's ed? Back in my days circa 199E0 verybody basially had drivers ed.. Cannot recall any who didnt. Costs a small fee maybe... I recall our teacher ( was our PE and health ) even had Sat. driving hours. Everyone then on their 16th Bday did the right of passage to the DMV and took their test. Have things changed?

I can only say/recommend. Had your kid do it as soon as they can before life gets too crazy and busy. It was stress enought with our kids at 16,5 (driving age is 18 officially, with 17 they take their test and get their license but valid only with parents, once they turn 18 they can drive on their own) My son is finishing school and starting college and I cannot imagine having to do this process now.

Unless one lives in a city with public transport, not sure how these kids are doing it without being a burden to others.. I know our employer for every job posting by the small print has it a requiredment to have a valid license.

Here drivers Ed is offered as part of the Community School program.

It is not required to get your license in GA.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I had driver’s Ed in high school back in the 80’s. It was a semester class (I think it only met 2-3 days per week though) and some car instruction time with the teacher during non-school hours. You still took your permit test at the DMV and your road test at the DMV. My kids go to a neighboring district from mine and driver’s Ed is not offered. You can send your kids to driving school at your own expense. There is one here that is “recommended” by the district. There is an in-class portion that can be done in person or online and then 6 hours of practice driving with an instructor. That in person instructor administers the road test at the end of the 6 hours although the kids still take the written permit test at the DMV. My kids all did the driving school. That does get us a discount on our insurance and allows the kids to get their unrestricted license at 17 instead of 18 if they have no at fault accidents or moving violations. Plus the kids tend to be more comfortable taking the test with the instructor they have been driving with on roads they are familiar with as opposed to a state trooper at the DMV that they have never met before on a course that is unfamiliar.

I just looked up the driver's ed the school district in my area offers.

It's $325 and is during the summer meeting M-F 2 hours per day (either morning or afternoon) for just over 3 weeks (two summer sessions offered). You don't need a permit though you have to be at least 14 1/2 years old and it's strongly recommend you have already done parental driving lessons. I think the parental driving lessons before the school kinda defeat the purpose of it.

It's only offered at one high school location (which means parents have to get their kid there and pick them up from there).

The driver's ed that I did no longer exists to my knowledge (recently as in the last few years closed down) but one plus there is they would pick you up at your home or school and drop you back off at your home within a decent radius with a case by case if you fell outside that radius. For instance I was picked up at my high school when school was done two out of the three actual driving lessons and then dropped off back at my mom's house two out of three of those times and then one time at my dad's house. This was great for working families and also allowed for the student to get IRL experience on various locations; it was good TBH for my nerves to learn how to get out of the busy high school and navigate the roads but if a teen didn't feel comfortable with that they could make other arrangements. The actual driving portion was at your own pace, the teen made the appointments which were available 7 days a week. The primary drawl though I'm pretty sure was the fact that you learned on mustangs lol.

 

[mjkacmom]

In my day drivers ed was through the school (usually gym teachers for whatever reason), our kids attended the same high school we did, drivers Ed for the written exam was junior year health class, took the written test in class, behind the wheel is now a private company.

 

[kymom99]

I’m not sure if public schools offer drivers Ed around here, but I don’t think so. My son took private driving lessons because I taught him as well as I could but felt he needed someone who knew how to properly prepare him. We got a small insurance discount. The real value for me was that they picked him up at school to go to his test appoint and dropped him back off after he passed the test. It was well worth a few hundred dollars.

 

[mumto3girls]

I just looked up the driver's ed the school district in my area offers.

It's $325 and is during the summer meeting M-F 2 hours per day (either morning or afternoon) for just over 3 weeks (two summer sessions offered). You don't need a permit though you have to be at least 14 1/2 years old and it's strongly recommend you have already done parental driving lessons. I think the parental driving lessons before the school kinda defeat the purpose of it.

It's only offered at one high school location (which means parents have to get their kid there and pick them up from there).

The driver's ed that I did no longer exists to my knowledge (recently as in the last few years closed down) but one plus there is they would pick you up at your home or school and drop you back off at your home within a decent radius with a case by case if you fell outside that radius. For instance I was picked up at my high school when school was done two out of the three actual driving lessons and then dropped off back at my mom's house two out of three of those times and then one time at my dad's house. This was great for working families and also allowed for the student to get IRL experience on various locations; it was good TBH for my nerves to learn how to get out of the busy high school and navigate the roads but if a teen didn't feel comfortable with that they could make other arrangements. The actual driving portion was at your own pace, the teen made the appointments which were available 7 days a week. The primary drawl though I'm pretty sure was the fact that you learned on mustangs lol.

The driving school my girls did was similar in the scheduling. After the first session they texted directly with the instructor to set up a day/time/location. Sometimes they picked up at home and sometimes at school and always brought them home. Hours were flexible too. Youngest DD just recently drove on a Saturday afternoon. Most lessons for oldest and youngest were after school, but middle DD was during Covid and most of her lessons were summer during the day. For all three I needed to be there at the start of the first lesson to sign some papers and at the end of the road test, also for paperwork.

They had some set things they covered, parallel parking in particular (part of the test here), but for at least a few of the lessons they could pick where they wanted to go. My older girls each chose a day of city and a day of highway driving, but my youngest has had a lot of highway experience with my husband and I—her club practice is about 20 minutes on the highway each way three days a week—so she wanted more city experience. Overall I think it was worthwhile.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The driving school my girls did was similar in the scheduling. After the first session they texted directly with the instructor to set up a day/time/location. Sometimes they picked up at home and sometimes at school and always brought them home. Hours were flexible too. Youngest DD just recently drove on a Saturday afternoon. Most lessons for oldest and youngest were after school, but middle DD was during Covid and most of her lessons were summer during the day. For all three I needed to be there at the start of the first lesson to sign some papers and at the end of the road test, also for paperwork.

They had some set things they covered, parallel parking in particular (part of the test here), but for at least a few of the lessons they could pick where they wanted to go. My older girls each chose a day of city and a day of highway driving, but my youngest has had a lot of highway experience with my husband and I—her club practice is about 20 minutes on the highway each way three days a week—so she wanted more city experience. Overall I think it was worthwhile.

I think mine was worthwhile too. One of the days we practiced going on the highway and entering and exiting the ramps over and over again was a rainy day. It was perfect for me to learn that way too. I did driving with my stepmom in between the driver's ed actual driving lessons mostly nighttime stuff but the driver's ed always felt better I guess, maybe it was something about not having the parent in the car and having a more impartial person.

My sister didn't do driver's ed and instead just had my dad teach her although they seem to mostly do parking lot stuff.

I talked to my husband who did driver's ed through the same school district I described in my other comment and when he did it it was after school during the school year (and at a different high school at that time) so they've obviously changed the program over time. He doesn't remember the cost though back then.

These days I think roundabouts need to be added to driving lessons lol they are so incredibly common in my area and there are still a lot of people who are too hesitant or flat out don't know how to drive in them (such as coming to a full stop in the middle treating it like a stop sign).