We will have two teen boys driving at the same time I am afraid.
I am told insurance doesn't go up when they have a probationary/provisional license, which you can keep for one year.
My oldest is 15 and could get his probationary license, but we are holding off a bit as he has some goals he needs to meet first before we will let him get his license.
I dread finding out the cost of insurance.
Almost. I have a 16-year old and a 19-year old driver, so I'm very up on these distinctions. Remember, too, we're in the same state.
Once the 15 year old has taken driver's ed, he is eligible for a Learner's Permit (
not a license). This is probationary /provisional in that he is only allowed to drive with a licensed driver supervising (supervising driver must have 5 years -- I think it's 5 years -- experience behind the wheel, so a 16-year old cannot supervise his 15-year old friend). The family's insurance doesn't go up when the 15-year old has a permit, which makes sense: If something goes wrong, it's considered to be the fault of the supervising driver; he or she -- not the 15-year old -- would be given the ticket and held at fault for an accident. Any claim would go to the supervising driver's insurance. When this permit is issued, it is good 'til the teen turns 18. So if the new driver is 16 when he gets the Learner's Permit, it's good for two years; whereas, if he gets it at 16 1/2, it's only good for a year and a half. At 18 he can renew the Learner's Permit, and he still wouldn't be paying any insurance -- but, of course, no one actually does this because it would mean still being forced to drive only with the supervising driver. Also, the first two years of driving will = sky-high insurance, whether the driver is 16 or 18 or 25.
Once the teen has had the Learner's Permit for a full year, he is eligible for a License.
At that point he must be insured because he is able to drive without supervision. For the first 6- months, the initially licensed driver is limited to driving between 6 am and 9 pm, and he is limited in the number of passengers he can carry.
Once he's had that initial license for 6 months, he is eligible to get his "After 9s" License. This does require another trip to the DMV, but this license removes the 6-9 restriction. Although the driver is not restricted by law at this point, his license isn't quite the same as an adult's license -- infractions are viewed more sternly, and the 16 1/2-18 year old driver can lose his license more easily than can an adult driver with years of experience.
My husband and my thoughts on these laws:
With this "stair step" license program, the state is trying to do what good parents have always done: Ease kids into driving slowly.
We allowed our kids to get their Learner's Permits as soon as possible. We reasoned that having a permit didn't automatically mean they could get a "real license" at 16 . . . but it did allow them to begin practicing with us for as long a time as possible. At each stage, the parent must sign, so if your child has a Learner's Permit, and you think he's not ready for the license . . . he cannot move ahead without your permission -- not 'til he's 18. The driver's ed classes in our area are overly-full, and kids often can't get a seat as early as they'd like, so most teens in our area aren't getting permits 'til they're 16 1/2 - 17, and this means they're not eligible for licenses 'til they're 17 1/2 - 18. We sidestepped that by going with private driver's ed lessons (it was their big Christmas present), and we were very pleased with that decision.
It's important to us that our kids have plenty of short, close-to-home solo driving practice before they're 18 and head out to college. Once they're college students living away from home, our opportunity to teach them is lessened, so we want to know that they've mastered this skill before we turn them loose to drive several hours to and from school.
We wrote up a driving contract for our girls. It spells out exactly what costs we will pay, actions that could lead to them losing their driving privledges, and what would happen if they were to be in a their-fault accident. The biggest thing we emphasize is that even though they are
licensed drivers, they are not yet
experienced drivers. As such, we sometimes limit where they can drive. For example, when our oldest was 16 and had had her license only a week, she
announced that she and a friend were driving to a music-street festival in a nearby city. Ah, no. Streets she didn't know, a fairly lengthy drive, heavy traffic, people drinking and driving -- no. It's a parent's job to keep kids from getting into situations over their heads, and she genuinely didn't understand that she wasn't yet ready to drive in
any situation just yet.
Well, this will be nothing per month compared to in a few years when she's in college, so guess I better start getting used to these expenses! Seriously thinking about getting another PT job which seems ludicrous for a child's expenses, but no way can she have a job during the school year since she's in sports. 
