So, your teen has spent countless hours preparing to take the learner’s permit test, and passed on the first try.

So, now what?

Besides wait for your teen to turn the big 16 and become the newest family member behind the wheel, many families find themselves undecided when it comes to placing their teen in a driver’s education course so soon after they receive a learner’s permit.  After all, you are perfectly capable of teaching your teen driver the rules of the road right?

Of course.

However, despite the fact that most states (aside from Alabama, Minnesota, and North Dakota) require teens take some sort of driver’s ed, there are several benefits for opting to place your teen into a high-quality driver’s education course.

1. Driver’s Ed Lowers Insurance Premiums

It should come as no surprise that adding a teen driver to your insurance policy can boost premiums exponentially.  This is because teens are a risky group of drivers, thanks in large part to distractions, lack of experience, unsupervised behavior, and speeding.

The good news is, enrolling your teen in a driver’s ed course can lower your insurance premiums significantly.  This is because it is thought that successful completion of driver’s ed will lead to more responsible driving.

2. Increased Experience

Despite being able to teach your teen how to drive right up until the day before they take their driver’s license test, the truth is, you are busy.  Perhaps you cannot spend as much time teaching your teen the essential skills needed to drive safely once on the road alone.

By placing your teen in driver’s ed, they will gain more experience than ever before.  In fact, they may even learn things you are not able to teach them, such as how to drive a manual stick shift when all you have ever driven is an automatic.

3. Safety Knowledge

In addition to learning the much-needed skills to pass the driver’s test, your teen will also learn some safety best practices they can carry with them long into the future.

• Freeway driving, including how to properly merge into fast moving traffic
• How to drive in inclement weather such as rain and snow
• How to navigate narrow, busy streets

Moreover, when you teen takes driver’s ed from a professional dedicated to educating your teen, they’ll learn what to expect when taking the actual driver’s test.

One great example is the ability to parallel park.  Though many cities never require you to parallel park, a lot of DMVs require people taking the physical driving test to know how to do so.  A solid driver’s ed instructor will be able to guarantee your teen can do this.

4.  Improved Confidence

Taking your driver’s test can be a stressful thing.  Driving a vehicle can be a stressful thing.  When combined together, it is easy to see why 4 out of 10 people taking the driver’s test fail.  Add in a lack of knowledge and your teen will be doomed from the start.

By allowing your teen to take a quality driver’s ed course, they will gain the knowledge and experience needed to walk into their driver’s test fully confident they will pass.  This confidence will make for a better teen driver and ultimately, safer roads.

In the end, the best way to prepare your child for the road ahead is to consider enrolling them in a professional driver’s education course.  This paired with the expertise you can provide by riding shotgun with your excited teen driver, will make for a smooth transition from learner to driver.