Should you allow your teenage son or daughter to get their driving license? It’s a big question and one that depends somewhat on your circumstances. Your teen may not even want to get a license at this point, but fit the proposed of this article, let’s assume that they do. So let’s look at some of the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages of allowing them the chance to start being a student driver. It’s a good idea to get an idea of how you feel on this one in advance as you will be equipped with an answer for your teen as soon as the question is asked.
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Pro: It Gives Them Freedom
Source: Medianet
Once they pass their test, it would undoubtedly allow them a level of freedom they have never experienced before. The car can let them to take trips, go further, and vary their day trips and evenings out. You will, of course, need to be sure that you trust them in this regard as this is another level of freedom and release from the family home. One of the good things about it is that it should be a deterrent for them to drink alcohol, making them safer and healthier as long as they don’t decide to drink and drive. Of course, you need to be confident that not only are they responsible but also any friends that they take with them, this is especially true if they are borrowing the family car.
Con: Lessons are Expensive
Source: TÜ Taunus
Driving lessons don’t tend to come on the cheap, and where it’s a teenage child learning the expectation is probably that the parent is going to pay for the cost. There are ways to help with the price a little; you can buy a bulk block of lessons, which usually includes a discount. You can even teach them yourselves in the family car, or at least allow extra practice between lessons. After all, the more you can do at home, the more it saves you, which is excellent so long as it doesn’t create too many arguments. After all, if there’s one thing a teen hates, it’s being told what to do by Mom or Dad. Maybe those lessons are the best idea, after all, shop around and check out the reviews online to see how others have found specific driving instructors. But it’s good to get the right tuition to become a better driver as the higher cost per lesson may be justifiable if it ends up meaning fewer lessons in the long term.
Pro: It Increases Job Chances
Source: Polamer
Being able to drive increases job opportunities for young people both in the short term and in the long term. Short time, there are many opportunities for a young person, one such being a takeaway food delivery driver. Going forward, there are so many jobs and careers where driving is either desirable or essential, and there’s no reason to delay on this. It’s much harder to find the time to learn once they get older. Also, the expense can be a lot, and when they live at home, they are not burdened with the extra costs that living on their own will inevitably bring. The sooner they learn, then the more experience they will have when it comes to applying for jobs as some positions require a certain number of years of driving experience.
Con: It’s Potentially Dangerous
Source: thesofferfirm
Driving can be dangerous, especially for young drivers. It’s a well-known statistic that drivers under the age of 21 are the most likely to be involved in accidents. This is compounded by the fact that young drivers tend to buy older, and therefore less safe vehicles. You can help avoid this by insisting they don’t buy an old car, use yours and even hire one occasionally if needed, Globe Car has some great deals if you are near one of their locations. No matter what, you cannot substitute for safety, so make your decisions accordingly.
Pro: They Can Help the Family
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Having another driver in the family can be considered nothing short of huge help. Put it this way once you’ve paid for them to go through the cost of expensive driving lessons and taken many hours out of your schedule to help them practice and learn, then they’re going to owe you, big time! So it’s not unreasonable or out of the question to ask for a few favors from time to time. You could ask for them to do a run to the grocery store. You could also request that they help with running around any younger siblings in the family. There will inevitably be grumps and grumbles about doing these little favors; however, if you explain that this will be expected of them before setting up the driving lessons, it should go a little easier.
Con: They Will Hassle you for a Car
Source: The Balance
This one is as inevitable as the sun rising. Once a child has a license, all you are going to hear is requests for their vehicle. Now it’s certainly a possibility, but there are a lot of considerations before you agree. Who is going to pay for it? We’ve already discussed the issues of safety with cheaper and older cars. Maybe you can decide to share the cost somehow. There’s also the running costs, fuel, repairs and servicing and even insurance, which is very high for young drivers. But if they take on these responsibilities, then it could be perfect for them to learn the financial budgeting to deal with having a car.
So it’s a problematic decision gust you’re going to have to consider very carefully, make sure they know their responsibilities and safety concerns you have before agreeing to anything. A car has benefits and problems you need to be aware of, and there is every possibility that they may come to you wanting help with the upkeep or repairs to the vehicle.
