Young teens and driving

[mumto3girls]

Our state does not allow kids to obtain their permit until they are 16 and then they have to have the permit for 6 months prior to getting their license. At that point it’s a junior license. No driving past 11 PM unless for work and no driving more than 2 unrelated minors in the car unless there is a parent in the car. At 17 if they’ve had no violations/accidents and have taken driver’s ed, they can apply for a regular license. Otherwise they wait until 18.

My oldest got her license in December 2016. She was so excited and as soon as she got home she and her sisters decided to drive around and look at Christmas lights in the neighborhood. Not sure I have ever been more anxious than when I watched my car back down the driveway with all 3 of my kids inside.

Initially I made sure her friends parents knew that she would be driving rather than me when she made plans as she was one of the first of her peers to get a license. I actually still do that if she is going to be driving friends of her younger sisters. At first she just drove locally. Right after she turned 17 she wanted to take 3 friends to a lake about 2 hours away for the day. She had done only a little highway driving at that point so I took her to a section of highway where the ramps tend to be a bit short and had her practice getting off and on the highway. I thought if she could do it well there she’d be fine with the other ones. There were a few friends of hers that I thought were loud and obnoxious when I drove them and so initially I didn’t allow them to ride with her. After about a year I started to allow her to drive in the city alone or with friends.

I still talk to her often about who she rides with. She did tell me at one point that one of her closest friends was taking a lot of risks in the car (driving too fast, not waiting for windows to defrost, unsafe lane changes, tailgating) and that she would no longer be riding with her. That along with some scary texts messages from her to my DD that made me worry that the other girl may be thinking about harming herself made me contact the parents. A really tough phone call to make. And now my middle one is 15 and has a few older friends/teammates. I’m not sure she is as level headed as her sister but I will keep talking. It really is a leap of faith.

 

[lifesavacation]

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in young adults, with the biggest risk seen between the ages of 16-18. My state restricts who can ride with a new teen driver for the first 6 months and they aren't allowed to drive between 1-5am. It makes sense to me. If WA didn't have these restrictions, I still wouldn't allow my daughter (15) to ride with a new driver. YMMV.

 

[here757]

I jumped the off this boat!
My 15 year old stays in trouble so no license. Stole few grand from us.
I refuse to reward
Now I gotta sell his car

 

[Klayfish]

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in young adults, with the biggest risk seen between the ages of 16-18.

Yes, sadly it is. We can preach safety to our kids until we're blue in the face...and we should, don't get me wrong. With what I do for a living, and my hobby of auto racing, I'm seriously into being safe...I won't even move the car until everyone has their seatbelt on. I've already started teaching safety over and over to DS14, who will be old enough for a permit in just a few months. However, I do recognize that just like anything else in a teenagers' life, once they walk out of my house and go out...whether in a car or just out in public...they will make their own decisions. So sure, there are rules. GA has rules about teens in cars, which is already discussed. I expect my kids to follow those rules and there will be severe consequences for not doing so. However, I'm also going to have to have a level of trust...of both him and his friends...which definitely isn't easy.

 

[SeeDisney]

I completely understand how you feel....I have experienced that myself many a time with my three older children. IT's soooo scary with all the many car accidents teenagers get into -- yikes! Each of my kids knows 5 or 6 friends that have gotten into car accidents! Set rules! Go with your gut! I am telling ya, that teenagers act completely different around their peers as they do around the parents.

 

[tazdev3225]

I was lucky, my kids didn't drive until they were all 18 or over. My rule was no license until you could pay for the insurance I would be required to carry on my car. My son was 20 or 21 before he even thought about it. Now my grandkids are hitting to that age and honestly it worries me. My oldest grandson is almost 21 and is just now getting his license and my beat up 2006 van to drive around in for now. He needs it for work.

My kids learned from our rules and their kids will have the same restriction - no license until you can pay for the insurance on your own. I think what helped them see this from our perspective, even at a young age, was a tragic accident their friends were in. One of my daughters friends was killed and my son's friend was the driver. There were 2 other teens in the car, brothers of the girl killed. It came out during the trial that the brothers of the girl killed were egging the driver on to drive erratically. They were all good kids but teens and they made a bad decision that changed them forever.