Why is it just assumed...

[missmoe]

I recently listened to a news show on NPR about driving. Like PP mentioned teen drivers appear to have gotten safer, but in reality it is because most teens are waiting to get their licenses. In the state of CA, the percentage of teens getting a license at 16 is around 20%.

[Renthead Mommy]

In New Jersey you have to be 17 to drive.

 

Sophomore year your health class was driver's education. So if you went to school, you took driver's ed, whether you planned on getting your dl at 17 or not. You took the book test right there at school no matter how old you were (just as along as you were a sophomore since that was the curric for sophomore health). Once you were 16 1/2, you'd get called from the driving instructor to set up your behind the wheel lessons. It was all through the school.

 

It is a natural assumption that they are getting their license if they've already taken the book test and done the road hours.

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

Well I started training mine around 14 1/2. He got his license PROMPTLY at 16 and I have to tell you, it's WONDERFUL having another licensed driver in the house.

 

For our parent-led driver's ed, he drove me EVERYWHERE we had to go for a year and a half before he turned 16, so I'm pretty secure in his driving abilities. It did require a lot of sacrifice. Those first few hundred trips to the corner store took a painfully long time since he was afraid of traffic, busy streets, and left turns :lol:, but it was worth it.

 

By the time he was ready to get his license at 16, he had HUNDREDS of hours of practice.

[Kari C in SC]

My oldest got his license when he was 17, permit at 16. Only because I was pregnant and had all day morning sickness and kept putting it off. He was a very good driver, but he loved speed. I don't regret the decision because it was what seemed best at the time.

 

Fast Forward - an 18 year old girl got her permit on her 18th birthday and a car (not hers - still don't know how this works and nobody seems to be able to tell me). Within the first 2 weeks of having her permit - she was pulled over doing 80+ TWICE. They did not take her permit or impound the car that was not hers. Nor did she have insurance. They just let her go the first time. The second time - they released her to my Soldier son (yes, they let some soldiers get away with stuff). The officer even recognized my son from when he stopped him for speeding on the same road. They had a good laugh. 40 minutes later - this girl was driving 80+ again and panicked when she came upon a car that had just pulled out, went to pass, and went head on into a semi. That is my story. Now, I am not so sure when my other two will drive. I do know they will gets LOTS of SUPERVISED practice. I know that too many teens die in car accidents. Spend a little time on the FB Compassionate Friends page and you will see how many have lost their kids to stupidity and immaturity. I firmly believe that God knows the day you will die and there really is nothing I can do to change it, but I still feel the need to have more control over this. So, my bet is that my kids will be waiting till they are older. And they won't be any new driver's cars - I can assure you of that.

[mom2denj]

My son didn't get his until he was 17 and we will probably not let our dd get hers until she is 18. She is not even close to ready!

[NanceXToo]

that a child close to 16 is getting their drivers license?

My ds is 15 1/2 and everyone is assuming he is taking drivers ed and getting his license at 16. We have decided to postpone that as a family rule and wait until he is 18 for a variety of reasons.

 

Is anyone else waiting?

 

My oldest, turning 20 tomorrow, has special needs and is not capable of driving. Next oldest is only 11, but I'll tell you what, I highly doubt I'll want her driving at 16. I don't mean to start a debate or offend anyone or stereotype or what have you, but generally speaking I don't believe that most teens are developmentally ready to drive at 16, I think that's inherently dangerous, to be honest. I don't think their brains are fully formed enough to be able to do so safely enough, I don't need that kind of insurance risk, and I just don't see the need!

[Heather in Neverland]

We are waiting. As long as we live here, ds can't get a license until his 18yo. :D

[Desert Rat]

Everyone assumes because driving at 16 is the norm.

We won't be waiting unless something weird happens in the next 4 years. But, my nephew is over 18 and doesn't drive. His 17 yo sister doesn't either. It makes things like getting jobs and going to special schools (like an arts academy) difficult for them. Vegas is very spread out. It takes me 45 minutes to get to their house and we're in the same valley. The bus is just crazy long-like 2 hours to get to my house from theirs.

[2squared]

All the teens I know have gotten their driver's license at 16yo, so asking about licenses and driver's ed would be as normal and standard as asking about the weather.

 

Most teens where I live get their farming permit at 15yo. If they live on farms, they then drive fully loaded grain trucks from the farm to the elevator in town. I grew up on a dairy farm and was driving as soon as my legs could reach the pedals. My 9yo already drives a motor scooter around our acreage, and I expect she will be a proficient driver before she applies for her farm permit.

Edited January 4, 2012 by 2squared

[Scarlett]

My oldest, turning 20 tomorrow, has special needs and is not capable of driving. Next oldest is only 11, but I'll tell you what, I highly doubt I'll want her driving at 16. I don't mean to start a debate or offend anyone or stereotype or what have you, but generally speaking I don't believe that most teens are developmentally ready to drive at 16, I think that's inherently dangerous, to be honest. I don't think their brains are fully formed enough to be able to do so safely enough, I don't need that kind of insurance risk, and I just don't see the need!

 

There is a real need for it in the area I grew up in. Very rural and no public transportation. Kids need to be able to drive. But most have been driving since they were 11 on the farm and such so they've got the 'experience.'

:D

[Cammie]

I feel your pain, everyone thought that by now I would be driving, and while I can't wait, we have been waiting for certain reasons although I do have a permit. Mostly because I am scared to death to drive but that's besides the point!:D

 

People tend to assume too much, and I hate it when people start to pry into your personal life.:glare:

 

 

Listen to your fears! I got my permit at 16 but totally realized it was WAY too much responsibility for me. So I didn't get my license. Then I went off to college at an urban campus...no need to drive. Then I did graduate school in a small town...no need to drive. I ended up getting my license only when I was 30 and found myself living in a suburb in which you had to drive to get around. I was still scared about driving but felt I was much more in a position to do it safely. Do it when you are ready and not before!

[DianeW88]

My kids got their licenses sometime between 16 and 17. Mainly because they were too busy with their activities to squeeze in the mandatory Drivers Ed. We enrolled with a private driving school so they could both do it all within a week.

 

However, my dh taught them all to drive at age 11 (my youngest can also drive now). We live in a semi-rural area and they drove all over our neighbor's farm. They both could drive a stick shift by 14 as well. So they were plenty experienced by the time they were 16.

 

I learned to drive in a 1967 Pontiac Catalina at age 15. I could have driven a Sherman tank quite deftly after that experience. :lol:

[angela in ohio]

Or questions about romance. Personally if I were a teen, I'd rather field the driving questions.

 

Yep. My dd would rather explain our caution about driving than her philosophy on dating with strangers making polite conversation.

[Mrs Mungo]

To add: I'll bet my boy is unique--the driving tester actually told him he should drive FASTER and more aggressively! My guess is that she's never said that to a 16yo boy before...

 

Both my dh and I failed our driving tests the first time for being too cautious. I think it is pretty common. ;)

[G5052]

Among our close friends, I can't think of any families that didn't wait until 18. Apparently the price for insurance goes down some if you wait, and most seem to think that several years of practice is ideal.

 

I can see the advantages of having another driver though.

[AngieW in Texas]

I have started my kids on driver's ed between 15yo and 15.5yo, but my two older kids have not gotten their licenses at 16yo. My oldest wasn't ready until she was almost 17yo. She did have about 80 hours of practice with me at that point. My middle dd is 16y3m and isn't anywhere near ready yet. She's very nervous about driving at 45mph. We're just working on getting her to the point that she can drive us to and from her cc classes. It's only 7 minutes away, but most of that distance is on a 45mph road.

 

I think my youngest is likely to get her license right at 16yo. She is very eager to drive, where my other two were not.

[TheApprentice]

because it's the "norm" in this society. Kind of like a right of passage. It's kind of like the question we get constantly, "What grade are you in" and "What school do you go to?" Just part of the fabric of our society. No.Big.Deal.;)

[Allearia]

I think the more driving with a parent the better. For us, waiting until 18 when they are probably going to college isn't an option, I would rather he have a couple years experience. Besides, I am the only driver in the house so having another driver would be nice. Of course, if they get to that age and are completely not ready and irresponsible I will re-consider, but I can't imagine letting them leave home without lots of experience driving under supervision.

[ccmom]

I agree with all of the comments about practice. I'm not in a hurry for my son to drive alone, but I do want him to get plenty of practice. I believe that the more practice he has, the better driver he will become. He won't drive alone until we believe he is ready. We live in a small town, so he will get a lot of practice here before going out into the "real world".

 

I know what you mean, OP. I get so many people asking why my son isn't driving yet! He is 15.5 yrs old. He will drive soon enough, when we're ready and when he is ready. He is starting drivers ed this year. I am giving him the option to take his time with the online portion, spreading out over a year if he needs to. He gets pressure from his acquaintences, but he also tells me that he isn't in a hurry to drive, that he wants to get a lot of practice so he can build his confidence. I think his thinking is correct.

 

As far as I'm concerned, there is no rush to get him alone on the road with all the crazy drivers out there! To be honest, I am terrified to have him drive in Los Angeles, and I am guessing he will end up living somewhere there because of the field he wants to go into. I keep telling myself that I did just fine living there, so he will too. It's much different being on the parent side, though. All I can do is pray.

 

Susan

[Annie G]

Our oldest two earned their driver's licenses at age 16. Our next daughter is 19 and has let her learner's permit expire- no desire to drive. Her 17 year old brother is close to getting his but he's still a bit away from being ready.

 

Many of their friends don't drive so there's no stigma of needing a ride or having your parents drop you off. That is key!

 

We live a mile from the community college- transportation isn't a huge burden on me.