Driving is a lifelong skill that can open many exciting opportunities and make your life a lot easier. It used to be that people learned to drive as soon as they were able to. However, there has been a decline in the number of young people taking driving lessons because of the lack of need to drive as they live in communities with great public transport. Other people lack the initiative to drive because of the expenses associated with taking driver education courses and driver training. 

Teens are better off when they learn to drive as soon as they can. Many believe that it is easier to learn how to drive when you are still young. Teens who are learning how to drive often take fewer lessons and they often pass their tests the first time. It could be because a young brain is more open to learning new skills. He may also spend less time picking up the bad habits of bad drivers.

Teens need not be convinced to learn how to drive. Driving is something that teenagers want to do as soon as possible. The thrill of sitting on the driver’s seat is something almost every kid has been dreaming about. 

The following are some reasons why teen driver education is important:

Independence

A teenager who knows how to drive has become independent of his parents when he wants to go to a friend’s house. Instead of waiting for a parent to become available to drop him off and pick him up later on, he can go visit his friend as long as there is an available car.  By letting your drive, your parents have started to view you as a responsible adult and together with that trust is asking you to perform various tasks that could help them. This could include asking you to run errands or pick up a younger brother or sister from school.

Lifelong skill

Driving is a skill that will benefit you for the rest of your life. The earlier you start driving, the more experienced and responsible driver you will end up to be. No matter what you do in life, driving will always be a handy skill that will help you get ahead in life.

Driving to college

You survived your high school years on a school bus, but once you get into college, you have to find a way to get there. You cannot rely on your parents or your friends to drop you off to college. Driving will be extra necessary if you plan to work while you are attending college.

Easier to get a job

If you are planning to get a summer job after high school, you need to drive. Your chances of getting hired for any kind of job will be higher if you have a driver’s license, particularly if you will apply as a parking valet. A hiring manager will likely hire you knowing that you have a driver’s license.

 

When to start?

Teenagers can start attending driver education at age 15. It is possible that a teenager starts as early as age 14, as long as he will turn 15 during the course.

Typically, a driver education course lasts between 5 and 8 weeks, depending on the class that will sign up for. You need to complete a total of 30 classroom hours to complete the driver education course. You have the option of enrolling in a regular classroom or online class.

Teenagers can apply for a driver’s license upon completion of a driver education course. But before applying for a driver’s license, a teen has to take first the written test for the learner’s permit to drive. You can do this by going to the nearest DMV office in your city. You need to comply with all the DMV requirements to get your learner’s driving permit.

After you completed your driver education course, the driving school will issue you a certificate of completion, which you have to keep as you will need it when you apply for a learner’s permit and the actual driving test, which is a requirement before you are issued your regular driver’s license.