Teen Drivers

I have mixed feelings about the issue of teen drivers. On the one hand, it really is a rite of passage to have the freedom to drive yourself around as a teen--and it makes it more convenient on parents sometimes. On the other hand, the leading cause of teen deaths is car accidents--and we recently experienced this firsthand. My son's 15th birthday is approaching soon, and I am trying to decide what to do about this issue. I remember how I felt at that age--it was SO important to me that I be able to drive!! Now, as the parent making that decision, it is a tough one--I miss being on the other side of these decisions sometimes. We will also have some issues related to our move: the state we live in now has specific rules about first-time drivers, and Florida has very different ones. My son will turn 15 here and then move to Florida a few weeks later. As much as he would like to get his driver's permit on his birthday, I think we will wait until we move to begin working on that (based on Florida rules). Once he becomes an official Florida resident, he can do all of the testing on line and get his learner's permit. I am still looking into the Driver's Education issue--not offered in schools here, but may be there. Some states are doing "graduated licenses"--meaning they have strict rules at first and earn more priviledges as they age. Some states are tying in school issues with this--problems at school can keep teens from obtaining a license. All I know is this--I spent a very busy weekend recently going back and forth SEVERAL times--dropping off, picking up, dropping off again, picking up again--it made me think, for the first time, really: it will be nice when he can drive himself to all of these places! Still, going to the funeral of a boy who died in a car accident just a few weeks after he began driving--that makes a parent think twice about handing the keys to their teens. I guess this all goes with my previous thoughts about growing up, breaking away from parents, and moving into the world of adulthood. Soon, it won't be up to me if my son drives or not--soon, he will have to make those choices for himself and he will have to live by the laws of the land--if he breaks the laws when driving, he will have to be responsible for himself. For now, I am considered the responsible party--my insurance company looks to me if something goes wrong when he is driving--law enforcement holds the parents of minors responsible if the teen drivers break the rules. Part of me wonders--should we make him wait until he is 18 and a legal adult, legally responsible for himself in the eyes of the law? Tough call! I think, for now, we will let him do the testing process once we move to Florida and he will get his learner's permit. Then, I think Driver's Education is a must. And we will carefully watch him as he drives with us in the car while he is learning. Next year, as his 16th birthday approaches, we will decide if he is responsible enough to get his license and drive alone. Until then--there will be a LOT of "driver's education" going on in our family!:)