When should I let my son get his drivers license?

Question

He'll be 15 in a few weeks so he's already talking about it. I don't want to let him. I don't even want to let him ride with his friends that have theirs. He's a good kid and I do trust him to be responsible but that's not the issue...are 16 year old kids really capable of being responsible enough to drive a car?

Answer 1

Here's a good comprise, let him earn his license. My parents said we had to pay for gas and insurance (a portion if he's using the family car). If you don't have a job, you don't drive. It teaches responsibility and money management. We also had to pay for repairs. My little brother hasn't driven in over a month because he wrecked his car and can't afford to fix it, but the accident was his fault and therefor his responsibility. My husband and I plan on using this method when our children come of driving age. Good luck!
I almost forgot, my husband and live in North Carolina and we did research when it looked like my brother would have to come here for school (my family is from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and got hit hard by Katrina that's why he almost came). In NC if you fail a single class, they suspend your license. Seems like a good system to me.

Answer 2

They can be capable and responsible if they get the proper training . You need to have him get his drivers permit and he will only be allowed to drive with his parents until he is ready for the license. You can renew the permit as often as you like , if you feel he is not ready . I think you may be making a mistake if you do not allow him to begin drivers training . The problem with most young drivers is they are turned loose in a car ,alone ,before they have near enough experience .He is at an age where he needs to learn proper procedures before he learns the wrong way-with another inexperienced driver . I don't think it's so much an age thing , as it is inexperience .I wouldn't be so quick to get the license until he has had a world of experience-with you . That will usually hold them off from rushing for the license , if they can at least have the permit and drive now & then ( with parents of course ). It worked for my kid .

Answer 3

Don't let him.

Let's say that you did help him get his license. Make a list of what he can do with a car.

1. Do earns for Mom & Dad
2. Wash the car
3. Learn auto maintenance... change the oil
4. Pay insurance premiums
5. Learn about safe driving
6. Learn about fuel economy... he should buy the gas
7. Learn about combining trips to save gas


Now make a list of what he can't do.

1. Take a drive for no reason
2. Visit friends
3. Drive to school
4. Buy his own car
5. Use the car without asking

More people were killed in Auto accidents in the 20th Century then all of the wars combined. It seems odd that there are ANTI-WAR groups, but no ANTI-Driving groups.

Even now, with the war going on in Iraq, the highway death rate is higher.

Take a look at these figures:

Highway crashes claimed a total of 42,815 lives in 2002, up from 42,196 in 2001. This makes Iraq look like a pajama party.

Answer 4

He first has to get his learners, because he is going to have a lot of driving to do with you first. The best way to start kids off driving is without no cell phone and no radio, might sound kinda mean but they wont have anything to mess with, they will have to pay attention to the road. He is going to want to drive and he is going to have to learn sometime. If you trust him let him but only when you want him too. I started driving when i was 16 and because i was responsible and respected my parents i did what they said i didnt mess with the radio i left it on one station and i didnt answer my phone when i was driving because i didnt want to risk and accident and then not be able to drive. I had finally earned the responsibility and i wanted to keep it. Make him understand how important it is. I had to pay for my own gas so i got a job a couple nights a week and i payed part of my insurance, if he can handle that then i proves him that much more responsible. Let him when your ready he still has a ways to go.

Answer 5

Im 17 and i just now got my licence. I belive that when i was 15 i didn't have the mantal maturity to adjust to traffic conditions and the way people drive. Two of my classmates died in car accidents when they were 16. And as per the law, if he does cause anyproblems like speeding or anything that will get him six points, he will have a bad drviving record which can be permanently damaging, as many people look at a person's record before giving them a job or stuff like that.

Answer 6

No, I don't think 16 year old kids are mature enough to drive a car. I went to driver's education at 16, got my learner's permit at 17 and my license at 18. I think that's a safe plan. Kids today are used to getting everything instantly, but you are right to wait until he's older. Let him just be a teenager for now. You won't regret it.....)(

Answer 7

Some are & some aren't. You know his level of maturity better than anyone. I'd make him wait until he's 18. In the meantime, help him learn to drive. Yes, it's stressful. You'll probably end up with gray hair too, just kidding. I was 18 when I got mine. It was my choice to wait. I saw my 16 & 17 year old friends getting tickets, having accidents & being carelessly reckless. That convinced me to wait. Most insurances will give you a better deal too if you wait. More accidents occur with teens 16 & 17 than any other age.

Answer 8

I guess you like driving your boy every place he has to go, or you have good public transportation where you live. Here in Arizona most people get their permits at 15 1/2, and get their license at 16 because it is very hard to get anywhere. I couldn't believe that New York City makes kids be 18 to drive.

Answer 9

If he's good and responsible, then yes, he may be ready. Get him enrolled in a driving school, and he'll learn just fine. And 16-year-old kids aren't really responsible for much, but driving? Yeah, they can do that.
And here's another hint: no job, no driving. When it costs them money, they're much more responsible about the whole thing.

Answer 10

as soon as it is legal,
just because he has a license does not mean that he has to own a car ,get drunk and crash it .

but he could drive you around and learn about driving from his parents ,who may take him along when it suits and so give him ,in relative safety some road experience ,which is the most important .
when he is 20 and you feel sure he is a good driver get him a car and let him go alone .
you can be in control of that surely.