Does ds 16 years old needs to drive?

amother

Fri, Nov 28 2014, 5:39 pm

we live in Los Angeles. he is in eleventh grade. He has a license I'm not sure if to spend money on insurance for him.

DrMom

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 10:47 am

How would we know?

Does he attend school/yeshiva far away from home?

Would it be useful for him to run errands?

I assume he doesn't *need* to drive -- but would it be useful? Enough to justify the cost of insurance? Only you can know this.

grace413

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 1:51 pm

Check with your insurance agent. In a different state we were told that we must purchase insurance for any licensed driver living in the home whether that person planned to drive or not.

morah

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 5:50 pm

IME, most insurances make you pay anyway. After all, anyone can say that they're not letting their teen drive to get out of paying the higher rate, the company has no way of verifying that you're actually following through on that. Also, from personal experience, you want your child to get some experience now, rather than later. My husband got his license st 17 and then his parents never ever let him drive. So after we got married, he ended up paying to redo drivers ed because he hadn't driven in a few years. You can have some rules- if you don't feel comfortable letting him drive places on his own, you can have him drive when you're going somewhere together, like for errands or a family outing.

chaos

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 7:51 pm

Even if he doesn't *need* to drive, in the sense that it is not a hassle for him to be transported vs driving himself, there are valuable reasons for him to start driving. The more he drives, the more he'll gain comfort and experience with driving and experience and practice will ultimately make him a better driver. He can help you by running certain errands. Also, if your son wants to drive (and I'm assuming that if he got his license, he is interested in driving), it would be better for your relationship if you create conditions under which he can drive instead of prevent him from driving entirely by not getting insurance for him. Finally, check with your insurance - you may be required to insure him regardless of how much or how little driving he actually does.

amother

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 10:19 pm

Op here
He is our oldest. Right now ds is not driving at all. Our insurance agent told us that we need to pay 180 for ds insurance. His friends have cars and they pick him up to go out places. He wants to drive and we can get a free old car from a relative for him which probably will need some maintenance. The problem is the expense. Should we stretch our already limited finances in order for him to drive? I'm just wondering if it's important and worth it for him to be independent and practice his driving. Btw in Los Angeles you need a car to go around.

MyKidsRQte

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 10:36 pm

grace413 wrote:

Check with your insurance agent. In a different state we were told that we must purchase insurance for any licensed driver living in the home whether that person planned to drive or not.

NJ automatically added my kids when they get their licenses

rachel6543

Sat, Nov 29 2014, 11:16 pm

If you can't afford it, it's definitely okay to wait another yr or two at least. I grew up in LA area and totally understand you need a car to get around. But I got my license at 17.5 yrs old. Didn't get my own car until about 19-20 yrs old. I did just fine without my own car until then. I either got a ride, walked or learned to take the public bus Also, if your child really wants to drive, can't he get a job to help with the expense. Can't he babysit, tutor, help with cleaning, home repairs, computer help, office support.... Etc to earn a little $. I myself began working since I was 13 yrs old to help pay for my own stuff. Did everything from tutoring, occational babysitting, teacher's aid to various office jobs throughout high school and college. I worked after school and/or on weekends or vacation breaks.

chaos

Sun, Nov 30 2014, 8:31 am

This expense does not have to be all on you. Your 16-year-old son is certainly old enough to be earning money through odd jobs to contribute to the car expenses - insurance, maintenance, gas, etc. Part of being a responsible driver is covering the expenses associated with driving. It would be quite reasonable to work out an agreement with your son in which you are open to adding him to your insurance plan if he can cover some portion (or the entire portion - up to you and him to negotiate the terms) of the additional insurance costs within a specified period of time.