Christian homeschooling group wants to let parents teach drivers-ed

[Newsjock]

Source: Seattle Times

Starting with his family's tractor, State Rep. Vincent Buys says he's been driving since he was 10 years old. Now, the Republican from Lynden, Whatcom County, wants to provide more options for teenagers to learn how to drive.

Under his proposal, parents would be able to teach driver's education to their children under 18 years old.

... Under the bill, a teen's parent or guardian would have to purchase a Department of Licensing (DOL)-approved driver's education curriculum and pay a small fee to cover the department's administrative costs, such as reviewing the parent's driving record.

... A home-schooling lobby organization, the Christian Homeschool Network of Washington, backs the bill and believes it would produce safer drivers.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014272252_driversed19m.html

[cynatnite]

1. Will prayer before driving be mandatory? n/t

[customerserviceguy]

2. Only if you share the road with them! n/t

[cynatnite]

9. I imagine there will be a hell of a lot of pray of thanks afterwards as well. n/t

[msongs]

3. parents teaching their own kids, using a learner's permit, was standard here back in the day nt

[Shandris]

4. Agreed.

I learned to drive at 15 from my father on the day I got my permit. I pretty much thought that was the standard, given that no one has the extra cash laying around for someone to teach them how to drive.

Read a book, know the rules...this isn't rocket science.

[Dappleganger]

6. It's not, but it does take the right kind of mentality.

My husband definitely doesn't have that, lol.

[Dappleganger]

5. I taught our two older teens to drive.

We have the advantage of living near some low-populated areas and began there, gradually moving farther and farther out. We've taken a number of short road trips in the state as well as up the coast and they both helped, adding to their highway time. The older daughter is extremely cautious(almost overly so) but does quite well. Our son is a natural driver but as most boys tend to be at that age, a bit over confident and at times scared the shit out of me. I have probably chipped a few molars by biting down so hard.

[tammywammy]

10. I went to a driving school, but I mostly learned from my dad

The school was shit as far as actual driving was concerned. With the school I never got on the highway nor did they teach me to parallel park until the day of my driving "test." I learned everything I needed to know with my dad, including the highways.

[csziggy]

15. About the time I took Driver's Ed, the insurance companies started offering discounts

For covering teens that had taken the course. Until then, many parents couldn't see the point.

My Dad taught my two older sisters to drive, but both he and I were relieved that I had the option of taking Driver's Ed - it had not been offered when my sisters were in school.

I took it as a summer course. Rode my horse to the school, tied it to a tree, drove around with the teachers and the other few students for 45 minutes, then rode off on the horse.

[upi402]

7. Pass a Written and a Driving Test - no problem. n/t

[distantearlywarning]

8. Sounds ok to me.

I took a school driving course because it allowed me to skip the "driving" portion of the test when I went for my license at age 16, but my dad was the one who really taught me to drive during that time period. We started out in parking lots and dirt roads way out in the country, and eventually worked our way up to the freeway. I'm 36 and only had one accident in my life (not my fault, was hit by a drunk driver who ran a stop sign), so it must have worked out ok. Actually, I think in general parents should be the adults who teach teenagers to drive.

[tammywammy]

11. I agree, sounds okay to me too

I posted above about how I went to a driving school, but the driving part was shit. I learned everything from my dad.

edited to add: Those driving schools aren't cheap either, this maybe a much affordable way for families to prepare their teens for driving.

[donheld]

12. My entire family, Mom, Brother & Sister learned to drive from my father

[jmowreader]

13. This will last until the parents actually try it

There really isn't anything wrong with the proposal, but a lot of parents are NOT cut out for the stress of teaching Junior how to drive.

[PufPuf23]

14. I had two driving wo/ a license tickets by age 16

and my parents thought hilarious. They had bullied me into driving and provided dirt bikes and PUs and jeep(s) since I was 13.

The court sentenced me to private driving school and going to the Hupa Reservation the next time that the DMV made it monthly (or bi-monthly?) then visit to driver test. There was me and Vi Short that day. I passed, she did not and she was told she was too old to try again so I thought a spirit had passed to me.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. They're either cheapskates or control freaks or both.

This isn't about taking the kid out for road practice. They can already do that.

[sylveste]

17. perhaps

they just feel they can do a better job.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. No. That's absolutely not the reason.

Nothing is preventing them from teaching their children to be excellent drivers.

What is a barrier is the state requirement that teen drivers complete a certified drivers ed program and they're trying to certify themselves to meet that requirement rather than send their children to a certified program.