|
|
Post by KelleeM on Aug 4, 2025 13:23:52 GMT
My 30 year old son just got his license in May. My daughter was 24, I think. I was 22 and had graduated college before I got mine.
I think encouraging your ds to get his before 18 for insurance savings is smart. My insurance tripled when I added my son š
|
|
Tearisci
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,964
Member is Online
Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
|
Post by Tearisci on Aug 4, 2025 13:28:46 GMT
Like you, when I was that age, everyone got their license as quickly as they legally could I couldn't wait to get my license and the same with my friends. DS was probably 18 before he got his. He had friends that had cars and licenses so they could drive him around. |
|
|
|
Post by Susie_Homemaker on Aug 4, 2025 13:42:36 GMT
I lived in Mississippi and was able to get my permit at 14yo and my license when I was 15yo. I did it as soon as I could.
Our DDs both got their permits at 15 and license at 16. No public transportation anywhere near us, so driving was a great option.
|
|
|
|
Post by workingclassdog on Aug 4, 2025 13:53:30 GMT
All of mine got their licenses around 16. It wasn't like when I was a kid and was at the DMV on my birthday. I think now because it is such a pain in the butt to get the hours in and driver's ed done, but my kids were all ready to get their license within a month or so of their birthdays.
|
|
|
|
Post by workingclassdog on Aug 4, 2025 14:00:52 GMT
Kansas has one of the lowest ages where you can get your permit and then license at 16. One DD has zero interest and the other plans to get hers ASAP. Jobs are scarce, unless you can be a lifeguard for the summer and we are not buying them a car. Iowa has you beat.. kids can drive at age 14!!! My stepsisters kid started at 14.. I about died! |
|
The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 3,165 
|
Post by The Great Carpezio on Aug 4, 2025 14:13:31 GMT
Both boys got their permits at 15.
Son A: Got license at 16 but not right away but mostly because we had issues scheduling behind the wheel training sessions with the driving school we went with (I think they lost a lot of instructors). We also wanted him to drive in winter a bit before he started driving as a friend of his died on winter roads--of course that winter we had no snow until March. We also didn't have a car for him anyway, so we didn't hurry. (he got one about three months after his got his license) He got his license about five months after he turned 16. Son A--his friend group and teammates: almost everyone gets their license right away. He has a couple of teammates without licenses that are his age and a few didn't get them the day they turned 16, but most of them got them within days or weeks. He is an athletic and busy kid, and so is his friend group. He is also a more independent type of kid and doesn't like to rely on others.
Son B: is 17.5 and does not have his license. He has not done his last behind the wheel session, but he also doesn't choose to drive. He likes to blame me, but he also knows it is really his decision. He no longer needs the training after he turns 18, so hopefully he will get it in the spring or summer before college. He also does not have a car other than the one he shares with his brother. Son B---most of his friends did not get their licenses right away, but about 1/2 have them now as rising seniors. His group is a little more diverse and "nerdy."--they are ok with this description. Also there are more economic differences and it is too expensive for a couple of them. He is a more of a kid who is ok relying on others and being part of a group.
|
|
|
|
Post by busy on Aug 4, 2025 14:26:45 GMT
Thanks all for sharing your experiences. DS has always been one to do things on his own schedule, and driving seems to be another of those things.
|
|
artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,844
|
Post by artbabe on Aug 4, 2025 14:30:46 GMT
My oldest nephew got his around 17.
My 20 year old nephew doesn't have a license yet. He really needs to get one- we are always driving him to work and other stuff.
My soon to be 16 year old nephew hasn't got his permit yet. He said he thought he'd get his license next summer.
So yeah, there didn't seem to be any rush.
I think I was almost 18 when I got mine.
|
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 4, 2025 15:00:43 GMT
I was almost 19. I had to buy my own car and pay for gas and insurance. No thanks. My DH got his first truck (that didnt run so he had to get it running) at 14 and his license the day he turned 16. My 14 year old canāt wait to drive. She seems to think sheās getting one of the two chargers we have. Weāve already had her out driving the 1995T-100 pick up for safety reasons if sheās home alone and needs to get out. I donāt plan on paying her gas or insurance, DH feels differently. Weāll probably split it with her. I think she should pay for part of it. We told out kids we'd pay for insurance and gas as long as they were still in school and if they were driving to work and school and not using the vehicle for fun outings and carting around friends. It seemed to work. When they were adults, a few of their friends told us that both boys refused to drive friends to and from school and no way for fun outings. They took our offer seriously. Our neighbor at the lake had his girls get their license as soon as they could and provided a vehicle and gas for them. We kind of questioned that but his explanation made a lot of sense. He said he wanted his kids to be able to be able to safely extract themselves from any situation where they felt uncomfortable, and this made us think (especially me, because I didnāt have access to a vehicle until I was 19). There were plenty of times when I was younger and Iād be out somewhere with friends and everyone BUT me was partying and getting stupid drunk, yet I was the one without a license or a car so my choices would be stay there in a situation I didnāt want to be in, let my drunk ass friend/ date drive me home, or call my mom in the dead of night and risk her wrath over that. š¤Ŗ None of those were good choices, and sometimes kids end up in situations they didnāt expect because their friends make stupid decisions on the fly. When you arenāt driving yourself places, you arenāt in control. Weāve also told our kid that if she is ever in a situation where she feels she needs to bail, at ANY time of the day or night, she can call us and we will come get her without judgement. Our primary concern is her safety above all else. If you think about it, the kids who donāt have a vehicle or the money for insurance or gas will be the ones dependent on others to get them toāand more importantly, home FROMāvarious events, parties, dates, etc. and that can end badly all around when the person responsible for driving your kid makes bad decisions. Our neighbor knew his own kids were pretty sensible and trusted them to be careful, and they were. |
|
|
|
Post by peano on Aug 4, 2025 15:25:00 GMT
I've noticed the reluctance to get licenses in DS's generation. I assumed he would be like me and want his license ASAP so I had him out in a deserted parking lot practicing driving when he was 14, the age I was allowed to get a permit. He never indicated he was anxious about driving. I enrolled him in driver's ed once he had his permit, and had him drive me around a lot after school.
|
|
dawnnikol
Prolific Pea
'A life without books is a life not lived.' Jay Kristoff
Posts: 9,460
Sept 21, 2015 18:39:25 GMT
|
Post by dawnnikol on Aug 4, 2025 15:37:40 GMT
Iowa has you beat.. kids can drive at age 14!!! My stepsisters kid started at 14.. I about died! It's 14 with a permit here. Does Iowa let them drive alone at 14?! I mean, besides the farm kids. |
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Aug 4, 2025 15:37:50 GMT
Kansas has one of the lowest ages where you can get your permit and then license at 16. One DD has zero interest and the other plans to get hers ASAP. Jobs are scarce, unless you can be a lifeguard for the summer and we are not buying them a car. Iowa has you beat.. kids can drive at age 14!!! My stepsisters kid started at 14.. I about died! I grew up in Iowa and got my permit at 14 and then you could get your license at 16. I assume itās the same now? I know my stepsister was saying her daughter had a school permit last year (she was 15) but was ādriving everywhere.ā |
|
|
|
Post by leannec on Aug 4, 2025 16:07:23 GMT
My dd's are in their 20's now but they both got their learner's permits at 14, took driving lessons at 16 and passed their test at the end of the lessons. We bought dd#1 a used car when she was 17 so that she could get to school and work ... I think we bought dd#2 a used car when she was 17 so she could get to school as well ... They both wanted to drive because neither wanted to depend on us to take them places ... worked for me!  |
|
|
|
Post by mom on Aug 4, 2025 16:56:34 GMT
Both of my sons were eager to get their licenses and did so, right on time. DS2 though, hates driving. If he doesn't have to drive then he is more than happy to let someone else drive him.
|
|
iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,539
|
Post by iowgirl on Aug 4, 2025 17:08:16 GMT
Iowa age is 14 for their learners permit. A school permit is issued at 14.5 if they pass all the requirements of driving time and the written test. (The do now have farm permits at that age, and how I wish my kids could have had that!
But they were up, fed, dress and waiting in the car at the crack of dawn on their 14th birthday to get that learners permit.
My kids were farm kids and doing some driving long before age 14, so they were pretty skilled by the time they were legal. All of them could back a trailer up pretty well by then, and had driven everything from a little car, big pickup to a big tandem truck (just moving those around, not hauling loads yet). Plus big tractors and other farm machinery. My daughter had to bale her horse hay if she wanted her own horse, so she was learning how to do that at 12. And talked her siblings into stacking for her.
They all did well with there permits. If you get a violation, it backs you up 6 months. So they did not want that. 14.5 school permit, 16 is intermediate and if you have done all the graduated steps, you get your full unrestricted license at 17.
My kids wanted to be able to drive to school starting freshman year of high school (age 14). They were all in sports and extracurricular activities, so having their own wheels made that a much easier situation. The big fear was messing up and getting busted back down to riding the bus. Anything .... anything but riding the bus to high school! LOL It was a big motivator.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmpeter on Aug 4, 2025 17:56:45 GMT
DS, as soon as he was able to he was more social and had lots of sports practices to get to and from and really wanted the freedom to not ride the bus to school. DD was younger and waited til she was 19. She was more nervousā¦took a few private lessons before she was comfortable taking the driving testā¦even though we always had her drive when we were in the car with her once she got her permit.
|
|
|
|
Post by iteach3rdgrade on Aug 4, 2025 18:00:30 GMT
Mine hasn't yet and he's going off to college a couple hours away. He got his first permit and it expired. I was ok with him waiting due to our schedule and driving hours. We decided to wait until he was 18 and we'd drive with him to get the same practice... the law is changing and anyone under 21 has to do all the classwork and hours etc. which I know is very helpful so now we are back to waiting. I'd like for him to get the permit now before school so he can work on things in May/June when he returns. His dad didn't get his until he was 19, so I guess he's following that.  He isn't in a rush and I'm ok with that. He'll be better if he waits. |
|
|
|
Post by Laurie on Aug 4, 2025 18:08:55 GMT
In South Dakota you can get your permit at the age of 14. You have to drive with a parent for 3 months if you have completed drivers ed or 6 months if you haven't completed it. So after 14 years 6 months they can drive alone. However, until they are 16 they can only drive from 6am - 10pm without a parent. Dd's bf didn't get his license until he was in his junior year. He had a teammate that was killed in an accident so he was nervous. My nephew turned 14 in December and is able to drive on his own but he has no interest in it. My dd on the other hand was ready to drive as soon as she was able.
|
|
|
|
Post by busy on Aug 4, 2025 18:29:46 GMT
I think a big part of our "issue" is that DS can't ride the bus - he doesn't go to his assigned school, but transferred to a different school in our district. Part of the agreement with the district is no transportation is provided if a student doesn't attend their neighborhood school, so we've had to drive him to and from for years. That's not unpleasant or limiting to him, so that common motivation for getting a license doesn't exist.
|
|
RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
Posts: 5,690
|
Post by RosieKat on Aug 4, 2025 18:39:18 GMT
My son got his permit when he was about 16 (was eligible at 15.5). My daughter was about 16.5 for her permit. They just did it when driver's ed worked with their schedules and when their friends all started driving, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 4, 2025 21:53:51 GMT
If it was just to avoid having to take the school bus to and from school that wouldnāt be a good enough motivator for me to have my kid drive herself. Her bus ride is fairly short, it picks her up close to the house, the permit to park at school is something like $250 per semester and itās limited with seniors and juniors getting priority over sophomores. Plus we only live about a ten minute drive to school and one of us is almost always home if she needs a ride. That might change if she has a lot of extracurriculars and would need a ride more often than she could take the bus.
|
|
|
|
Post by ntsf on Aug 4, 2025 21:59:59 GMT
we made sure the kids knew that we would gladly accept a 2 am phone call for a ride (pre uber).. or anytime if you needed a ride home or anyone needed a ride home. no one would get in trouble for any support.
that was an important message to emphasize. I think one kid called once.. he was in a cop car at the beach.. but it was because his group of friends were assaulted.. they didn't do anything wrong.
|
|
seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,366
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
|
Post by seaexplore on Aug 4, 2025 22:43:18 GMT
I was almost 19. I had to buy my own car and pay for gas and insurance. No thanks. My DH got his first truck (that didnt run so he had to get it running) at 14 and his license the day he turned 16. My 14 year old canāt wait to drive. She seems to think sheās getting one of the two chargers we have. Weāve already had her out driving the 1995T-100 pick up for safety reasons if sheās home alone and needs to get out. I donāt plan on paying her gas or insurance, DH feels differently. Weāll probably split it with her. I think she should pay for part of it. We told out kids we'd pay for insurance and gas as long as they were still in school and if they were driving to work and school and not using the vehicle for fun outings and carting around friends. It seemed to work. When they were adults, a few of their friends told us that both boys refused to drive friends to and from school and no way for fun outings. They took our offer seriously. Tearing that page out of your playbook and adding it to mine. š |
|
|
|
Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 6, 2025 9:02:38 GMT
In South Dakota you can get your permit at the age of 14. You have to drive with a parent for 3 months if you have completed drivers ed or 6 months if you haven't completed it. So after 14 years 6 months they can drive alone. However, until they are 16 they can only drive from 6am - 10pm without a parent. Dd's bf didn't get his license until he was in his junior year. He had a teammate that was killed in an accident so he was nervous. My nephew turned 14 in December and is able to drive on his own but he has no interest in it. My dd on the other hand was ready to drive as soon as she was able. My kids cousins were in South Dakota so they had a bit of extra incentive to drive as their cousins had been driving "forever" in teenspeak. My daughter had an extra-curricular that required a 30 minute drive each way pretty much every single day, so I was highly motivated for her to her license as I also needed to schlep her brother around. I also really, really wanted the "training" hours. I think our state requires 50, but she had something like 200 - in rain, in snow, in the mountains. I was 100% confident when she got her license that she could handle any conditions - and it was proven the first week when a blizzard hit while she was at that EC 30 minutes away. My friends daughter finally got her license at 19 when a job required it - I do think this generation is slower to want the independence a license provided for us in the 90s |
|
He isn't in a rush and I'm ok with that. He'll be better if he waits. 
