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Old 03-10-2012, 02:07 PM
 
Location: Wherever life takes me.
6,190 posts, read 7,951,808 times
Reputation: 3325

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I'm at work, bored, playing words with friends, thought I'd start something new, something that hopefully can't turn out confrontational...LOL

Anyways,
1. What age do you plan on letting your kids drive/get their license?
2. What will your rules be?
3. Do you plan on following state law and letting them their permit as soon as they are old enough?
4. Will you wait till they are 18? 17?
5. How do you think driving skill correlates to how young/old you start?
6. Do you think being male/female has a difference?

Bonus question: How old were YOU when you got your permit and license?
What were your rules with the car?

I got my permit ON my 16th birthday and my license a month before my 19th birthday and wasn't allowed to drive alone until a few months after that.
I have only gotten a few tickets which I didn't get until I got my own car, no accidents, I take great care of my car.
I had to tell my mom where I was going, I was only allowed to take the car out for the duration of whatever I was doing, usually just to college and rec soccer.

My brother got his permit at 15 in a half due to some driving program and got his license at 16 1/2 since with the program you had to hold your permit for a year.
He was allowed to take the car out alone that very same day.
He is 17 now and has had so many violations he recently got his license revoked but my mom paid for him to get it back.
And the SUV is ALWAYS broken in some way or another.
He takes the SUV any time day or night for however long he wants.

1. As soon as they are legally old enough. I plan on taking them on their birthdays like I was and being very involved with teaching them and putting them into classes and making sure they are good drivers.
2. Whatever the law states regarding times they drive, how many passengers they have etc once they have hit that time period of like 6 months and only one passenger or whatever then I will reevaluate based on their maturity.
3. Yep.
4. Whenever they are old enough, if they can get it at 15 1/2 then they can as long as they are mature enough.
5. I think driving skill definitely correlates, if you don't learn young it can be pretty hard. I taught a friend how to drive last year and she didn't start learning till she was 19 or 20 and she was awful, she took corners too fast, freaked out, pulled up too close behind cars at lights, scary scary driver.
6. I think it does. Guys are more reckless than girls and tend to not think first, some guys not all but most.


I am not making this about me, but since I asked everyone about themselves, not only their kids and there is no mother here to say what was done with my brother and I, I thought I would put from my side as well.
But from this thread is about kids and driving age and the other questions I asked.
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Old 03-10-2012, 05:02 PM
 
Location: Back at home in western Washington!
1,490 posts, read 4,742,157 times
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My oldest 2 got started Drivers Ed at 14 1/2 (the legal age here). They got there permits at their first DE class. After completing the classes, they had to wait 6 months to get their licenses (state law). They both got licensed as soon as their 6 months was up. (So, they both were just over 15).

Their rules are that they better be safe drivers or they won't be driving my cars. We live in a small town, and they are aware that they WILL get caught being stupid. Neither one of them made the drive to the nearest "big" town (30 miles away) without me for several months after getting licensed. We also live in Montana, so during the winter, they pretty much stay in town.

I have had my kids behind the wheel for many years before they went into DE. Where we live, I believe it is important to learn to drive on gravel early on. We also camp and hunt a lot and, at times, driving may be the only way to get help if something goes wrong.

Neither my daughter (17 yrs. old) or my son (15 yrs. old) has gotten a ticket or even been pulled over. I do not believe that gender makes a difference in regards to driving skills. I believe experience plays a greater role.

I began driving when I was 11 (about 30 years ago) for the same reasons that I had my kids driving early. I have never been in an accident and have only ever been pulled over once (for speeding on the interstate).

My final comment is that I think it is a wise idea to teach new drivers how to use an automatic vehicle. In an emergency, if the only transportation available has a stick-shift... you better know who to drive it.
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Old 03-10-2012, 05:26 PM
 
Location: Wherever life takes me.
6,190 posts, read 7,951,808 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabinerose View Post
My oldest 2 got started Drivers Ed at 14 1/2 (the legal age here). They got there permits at their first DE class. After completing the classes, they had to wait 6 months to get their licenses (state law). They both got licensed as soon as their 6 months was up. (So, they both were just over 15).

Their rules are that they better be safe drivers or they won't be driving my cars. We live in a small town, and they are aware that they WILL get caught being stupid. Neither one of them made the drive to the nearest "big" town (30 miles away) without me for several months after getting licensed. We also live in Montana, so during the winter, they pretty much stay in town.

I have had my kids behind the wheel for many years before they went into DE. Where we live, I believe it is important to learn to drive on gravel early on. We also camp and hunt a lot and, at times, driving may be the only way to get help if something goes wrong.

Neither my daughter (17 yrs. old) or my son (15 yrs. old) has gotten a ticket or even been pulled over. I do not believe that gender makes a difference in regards to driving skills. I believe experience plays a greater role.

I began driving when I was 11 (about 30 years ago) for the same reasons that I had my kids driving early. I have never been in an accident and have only ever been pulled over once (for speeding on the interstate).

My final comment is that I think it is a wise idea to teach new drivers how to use an automatic vehicle. In an emergency, if the only transportation available has a stick-shift... you better know who to drive it.
That is one thing I will do differently with my kids when I have them that wasn't done with me.
I will teach them how to drive stick, that is AFTER I learn to drive stick first, I am nearly 23 and still cannot drive stick, I know HOW for the most part but it's not pretty. So my point exactly, they will be taught how to drive stick.
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Old 03-10-2012, 05:35 PM
 
Location: here
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If they are showing they are responsible and doing well in school, I'll let them drive as soon as they are legal.

I got my license in my 16th birthday.
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Old 03-10-2012, 06:11 PM
 
13,976 posts, read 25,861,632 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kibbiekat View Post
If they are showing they are responsible and doing well in school, I'll let them drive as soon as they are legal.

I got my license in my 16th birthday.
That's what we did with our 3. Eldest was licensed in FL, and had to wait until he was 17 because we moved there from NJ where the legal age is 17 and he had to start from scratch with the permit process. The other two got licenses at 16 here in GA. They all took driver's ed and behind the wheel training.

We had one caveat. They had to qualify for the good student discount or pay for their own insurance.

Knock wood, no tickets or accidents for any of them.
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Old 03-10-2012, 07:25 PM
 
Location: Space Coast
1,988 posts, read 5,370,937 times
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1. What age do you plan on letting your kids drive/get their license? Once they have had a driver's ed course and are of legal driving age
2. What will your rules be? No other kids in the car for the first year. Must be home by curfew. Of course no drinking.
3. Do you plan on following state law and letting them their permit as soon as they are old enough? yes (see #1)
4. Will you wait till they are 18? 17? n/a under the current law
5. How do you think driving skill correlates to how young/old you start? That's a hard one to answer. I think it really depends on the person. I got my license on my 16th birthday, but I think if I had waited until I was older that it wouldn't have made a difference because I was always very cautious, defensive driver. But a lot of kids aren't very cautious until they get a bit more mature. Either way, it is a learned skill, and few brand new drivers are going to be very good.
6. Do you think being male/female has a difference? I hate to say it, but a lot of times, yes.

Bonus question: How old were YOU when you got your permit and license? I got my permit on my 15th birthday and my license on my 16th birthday (stopped by on the way to school then drove myself to school)
What were your rules with the car? I don't remember any rules other than be home by curfew (same as it was before I got my license). I did have to pay for my own insurance, gas, and repairs and learned a ton from that experience.
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Old 03-10-2012, 07:43 PM
 
Location: Asheville NC
2,061 posts, read 1,951,210 times
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My son got his learner's permit at 15, we got him professional driving lessons. He also took Driver's Ed in high school ( where because of insurance they did not leave the parking lot), (for some reason taking pro diving lessons did not get the insurance discount, but Driver's Ed in high school did??). He got his license as soon as he turned 16. For his 16th. birthday we bought him an old 760 Volvo with almost 300 thousand miles on it. (he put 50 thousand miles on it by the time we sold it, and we sold it for only $250. less than we paid for it.) He was, and still is an excellant driver. We really enjoyed having him share driving on trips, and his driving relieved me from the mom's taxi job.

I got my permit at 15. I didn't get my driver's liscense untill I was 21. I had 3 brother's, way too much competition for a car, but had lots of boyfriends who would take me wherever I wanted to go. I would never have expected my parents to buy me a car. I didn't own a car until I was married. Before that, living in a big city with public trasportation, I got by.
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Old 03-10-2012, 08:07 PM
 
Location: California
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My daughter started the training the first month she was eligible and had her license at 16.
My son didn't start driving until he was 19. His choice, I tried!
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Old 03-10-2012, 09:50 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
My daughter started the training the first month she was eligible and had her license at 16.
My son didn't start driving until he was 19. His choice, I tried!
I'm always interested in the reasons why some eligible teens have no interest in driving. I've known a couple. My friend's daughter just refuses to learn. She is very shy and immature, and likes having her mother take her everywhere. My niece, on the other hand is neither shy nor immature, and resisted learning until she had graduated college, and found herself with no way to get to work.
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Old 03-10-2012, 09:55 PM
 
Location: California
37,074 posts, read 42,038,193 times
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Quote:
I'm always interested in the reasons why some eligible teens have no interest in driving.
He was just timid about the whole thing and didn't want the responsibility. He's 21 now and was talking to me a couple weeks ago about how great it is to have the freedom to just get in the car and go whenever he wants without needing to rely on anyone. This is a pattern with him...slow to start but once he get's confidence he doesn't remember what the fuss was about!

He has no plans to move out on his own anytime soon either but I suspect he will when the time is right...
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