Evaluating Driver’s Ed: Are Teen Driving Schools Worth It?

New drivers have a lot to learn before they can drive safely in any situation. Good driving takes lots of practice, and teen driving schools provide the guided practice teens need to learn the rules of the roads quickly.

Many parents hesitate to sign their teens up for driving school classes because they can be expensive, and they wonder if practice with Mom and Dad would be just as beneficial. There are many pros and cons to teen driving schools, but we’ll go over some of the most important.

Follow the Rules

Teen driving school instructors know the up to date rules of the road well. Your teen can benefit from learning about one of the most important parts of driving—following the law—from a professional. It’s easy to go into autopilot mode when driving. Over time, driving becomes an intuitive practice. Understanding the flow of traffic and how to be safe becomes less about remembering laws and more about simple awareness. Your teen needs to learn both.

Teen Troubles

Your teen can also benefit from the knowledge of an instructor who works with teens every day and knows what they need to be careful about in particular. When you learned to drive, you didn’t have the many distractions teens face today. You might have even forgotten what it feels like to get behind the wheel when you’re just starting out as a driver. Driving instructors are in touch with everything your teen is going through and can help your teen through each challenge in the most effective way.

The Benefit to You

You may also qualify for insurance premium discounts if your teen completes a teen driving school course. Car insurance rates can soar after adding a teen to a policy. Insurance companies know the risks of insuring an inexperienced driver and raise rates accordingly. Having your teen complete a driver’s education course is one way to lower those rates and ease the burden of higher premiums. Also, some insurance companies offer discounts for good grades, so keep that in mind.

When combined, these benefits make teen driving schools worth it. In the end, the cost of a driving school can help your teen become a more skilled driver. It can also work to reduce insurance policy hikes and lessen the likelihood you’ll be faced with the expensive aftermath of an accident. Most importantly, driving schools contribute to your teen’s safety behind the wheel and the safety of their passengers. And you can’t put a price on safety.