When Is a Teenager Ready to Drive Alone?
Is there an obvious answer?
Let us say you live in a suburb anywhere in the United States. The closest largest city in your state is a 45-minute drive away.
When you were sixteen, you passed your knowledge test and got your learner’s permit. You practiced driving for more than 50 hours, and after a year, you passed the driving test and got your intermediate license.
At age 18, DMV issued an unrestricted license.
Now, you can drive alone anywhere you like, with or without friends.
But. Then, there are parents.
Your Mother is Concerned
You want to drive alone and head downtown one day. With the family car.
Since you haven’t done much driving since you got your license, your mother is concerned.
According to her, you never spent much time on the interstate and never drove alone in a larger city.
We all know that a lack of driving experience increases the risk of an accident, so her concern is not something you can easily brush off.
You argue that you have earned your license, have had it for two years, and can drive in any situation, even if you don’t drive daily.
So, who should budge?
Original tweet is slightly modified and anonymized.
Your Mother Asks for Advice
Your mother goes on Facebook and asks for advice. Parents of young drivers: My daughter is 18 with a new license. Should I let her drive on her own? What would you do?
You could do the same thing and post the question on Twitter, Facebook, or any other forum. To teens with worried parents: What would you do?
Some of the Answers Your Mother Got
Keep her safe…that is #1. She needs more experience on the interstates. Trucks, for example, are dangerous if one doesn’t understand physics. A young driver pulled between two trucks and was crushed between them when traffic suddenly slowed down. She couldn’t see the upcoming jam.
You say she’s driving for several years. So she needs more exercise on the interstate and in cities. It’s hard to let go, but she’ll be OK.
I would let her go. She’s been driving for a couple of years. Driving isn’t rocket science; if she’s decent behind the wheel, she’ll be OK.
Inexperienced drivers in new situations scare the shit outta me. You will never regret erring on the side of caution. But if you think she is up to it, boost her confidence and make sure she knows what she’s in for and exercises situational awareness.
That is nerve-wracking – a tough decision! But follow your gut. She may not like you /your decision at the moment, but it will pass!
Trust your gut. Many people do not follow traffic laws and are dangerous; she doesn’t realize that as a passenger. Driving today is not what it was 30-40 years ago. It takes much longer to adjust. Let her drive, but only with you with her.
How prepared are you?
Doesn’t any of the answers make sense? Which should you follow?
The question you must ask yourself as a teenager with little experience is: how prepared am I to deal with the myriad hazards of the road?
Because, make no mistake, driving involves concentration and preparedness for many different hazards. The driving task should not be taken lightly.
Sobering fact: The crash involvement rate of drivers under 25 years is still much higher than middle-aged drivers. The primary reason why young drivers are involved in more accidents is their inexperience behind the wheel.
It takes time to gain experience, which is why young drivers must develop critical driving skills and practice them in various driving environments and conditions.
[ Read more: Parent-Supervised Driving Lesson Plans ]
What do you think?
If you are a teenager: Should you be allowed to drive downtown alone? What do you think?
If you are a parent: Should you let your teenager drive alone?
Cover photo by Polina Tankilevitch
Most teens are not mature enough to drive. As a parent, you shouldn’t let them proceed with their application if you aren’t sure the can drive in all situations. Such teenagers are a danger tom themselves and others.
If you have your license nobody should stop you from driving.
The more time a parent invests in their teen’s learning, the better driver they will become. Learning is an ongoing thing, even after a teen got their license.
As a parent it is probably your duty to make sure your teenager can master both interstate and city driving before they are licensed. It doesn’t happen over night, so you must continue practice driving as much as you can.