Teen Ready to Get Her License - Now What?
Well, it happened yesterday. My daughter got her drivers license - passed with a 97, too. On one hand, I’m thrilled for her as I remember the freedom that little card can bring. I’m also scared to death, as I’m fully aware of facts like the following:
- Auto accidents are the major cause of teenage deaths
- 16 year olds crash more than any other age group
- 24% of teen drivers killed in 2003 had a blood alcohol level of .08 or better
- Two-thirds of those killed were not wearing seatbelts
It helps that I know my daughter - very responsible, good grades in school and I know firsthand that her driving skills are definitely above-average. But, for some added “insurance” my wife and I decided to get her additional training so she wouldn’t be hitting the road as I did over 30 years ago (at 15 and 9 months old), after mostly putting around in parking lots).
We chose MasterDrive mainly because of the positive recommendations we got from other parents. They have a good program that, in conjunction with Colorado Law, will let a teen begin the program at 14-1/2 and be eligible for a learner’s permit at 15, once they have passed the written portion of the test. Part of the training (which costs about $800) is a two-day, closed course classroom/driving school. Kids bring a car and they drive around a course that really lets them feel how a car reacts to certain situations - skids, panic stops, etc. After passing the written portion of the test, the DMV will issue a permit to the young driver and three options for driver training are given. If conditions are satisfied, then they can get a license at 16.
- 20 hours of training from a permanent business plus an additional 30 hours of parent-supervised training
- 50 hours of training by parent or legal guardian
- 6 hours of instruction given by an instructor employed by a state-approved driver training course plus an additional 44 hours of parent-supervised driving.
We chose option #1because we felt that the additional driving experience will be a big factor in her ability to handle situations that come up in traffic.
So now I smile, pray & cross my fingers as she motors out the driveway.
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Filed under: Real Life
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