HY 09/08: Teaching Your Child to Drive: Who Gets the Job?

Do-it-yourself versus hiring a professional

When 16-year-old Stephen Golden gets behind the wheel, his mother, Kristina, is confident he’ll drive safely. She’s sure because Stephen passed Parkland High School’s driver education course. “As he learned to drive, he picked up things I wouldn’t have thought to teach him,” the 44-year-old Allentown woman says. “He became a confident driver, and I became confident in his abilities.”

The Goldens are lucky to have a school that offers driver education. If that’s not an option where you live, is it worth spending money to hire a professional, or is “home-schooling” your teen equally effective? Here are some factors to consider:

Preparation—Professionals already know the ropes, but if you’re going to be your child’s instructor you’ll need to learn how. There are resources available to help you—for example, the ALERT Partnership offers a free brochure.

Cost—Prices for a professional run from as little as $50 for a school program like Parkland’s to as much as $300 or more for a private teacher. The car insurance discount you’ll get when your teen completes the course will defray some of that cost (how much depends on your insurance).

Safety—“In our cars, instructors have their own brake and mirrors and can put the car in neutral in dangerous situations,” says Bonnie Bortz, chairperson of Parkland’s driver education department. Clearly, that’s not true of the family car.

Psychological wear and tear—It takes patience and discipline to teach a young person to drive, and emotional issues can get in the way when the student is your child. “Remember that your teen will make mistakes, but will learn from them,” says family medicine physician Jyoti Gopal, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

Even if you go the professional route, you’ll still need to be involved in the learning process. Once the lessons are over, it’s practice time with Mom or Dad: Pennsylvania law requires permitholders to have at least 50 hours of supervised driving time before they test for their license.

And you’re in charge of when it’s time for that test: “If you’re not comfortable riding blindfolded with your teen, he or she is not ready to drive alone,” says Robin Rivera, coordinator of ALERT’s safe teen-driving program.

Even after your son or daughter is the proud owner of a driver’s license, stay involved. Operating a vehicle is a privilege in Pennsylvania, and parents have the right to revoke a child’s license if they choose. “Go for periodic rides with your children to answer their questions and make sure they don’t pick up any bad habits,” Rivera says. Parents play an ongoing role in creating a safe driver.

Want to Know More? For ALERT’s guide, tips to keep young drivers safe and information on the Da Vinci Science Center’s interactive safedriving display, call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September-October 2008