[2011CrazE89]

The day I’ve been dreading for 15 years is here. It’s time to put our 15 year old son behind the wheel of a car. I could probably wait another year. But why keep putting it off? Dropping him off and picking him up from school is getting old. The goal is to start him now and by his 16th birthday he’s on his own. His High School does offer drivers Ed classes and I believe I get some sort of insurance discount if he does.

Did you guys take Drivers Ed? Or did your parents say- Here take the wheel and figure it out? I'm a nervous wreck and I'm not looking forward to this.

[NemesisX]

You should do both. Have him practice driving around an empty parking lot first even without a permit before he takes drivers ed (with you in the passenger seat). Then move to a low traffic neighborhood (once he gets his permit), and go from there. You don't want your son's first time behind the wheel to be with a driving instructor who's grading his performance, but you also don't want to have his only driving instruction come from you.

[NemesisX]

As for me I went the route described above. My parents would let me practice driving around in an empty parking lot before I received my permit. I continued to practice with them after I got my permit, but I also took a formal driver's ed course.

[Litos]

I didn't take driver's-ed, but they did offer it in high school...

once I turned 18, I was eligible to take the written and the driving test, so that's what I did...

couldn't afford driver's-ed

[deadmn1337]

I took a safety ed class that did nothing but help to pass the permit test. To learn to drive my parents had two different views. My dad tried to explain everything in detail and control exactly what i did in the car. My mom just gave me the key and had me drive around in a parking lot until she was comfortable enough to let me go on the street. Since then i have taught friends who didn't have parents to teach them and have found that you just need to make sure they know the rules of the road and how to operate everything in the car. From there just correct them as they drive.

[NemesisX]

I hope this goes without saying but don't let him drive your Z4 if it's his first time driving

Hopefully you have a cheap beater in your household that he can practice with.

[ddk632]

I say both, and even would add, do a teen oriented track school.

Driver's ed will teach basic rules of the road

Teaching yourself will actually teach them how to drive

Track school focused on teen safety will teach car control and probably prevent some accidents in the future.

[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

I hope this goes without saying but don't let him drive your Z4 if it's his first time driving

Hopefully you have a cheap beater in your household that he can practice with.

His only options are my Z4 or the wife’s 2013 Sante Fe. I think the Sante Fe may be a bit intimidating for him. May be better off renting a beater.

[1987E30M3]

both...buy him a beater

[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by Litos

I didn't take driver's-ed, but they did offer it in high school...

once I turned 18, I was eligible to take the written and the driving test, so that's what I did...

couldn't afford driver's-ed

I haven't got the paperwork yet. I didn't think the Drivers Ed course was that expensive?

[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by 1987E30M3

both...buy him a beater

I haven’t even thought about buying him his own wheels yet. That’s a whole new set of issues.

[bkM3]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

His only options are my Z4 or the wife’s 2013 Sante Fe. I think the Sante Fe may be a bit intimidating for him. May be better off renting a beater.

he will be fine practicing in your z4 or your santa fe but have him take drivers ed first to learn all the classroom stuff and the main basics of the car.



i took drivers ed bc here in NY if you get your permit at 16 but if you take drivers ed you can get your license at 17 instead of 18 (at least that used to be the law). i believe it cost something like $400.

[2011CrazE89]

Originally Posted by bkM3

he will be fine practicing in your z4 or your santa fe but have him take drivers ed first to learn all the classroom stuff and the main basics of the car.



i took drivers ed bc here in NY if you get your permit at 16 but if you take drivers ed you can get your license at 17 instead of 18 (at least that used to be the law). i believe it cost something like $400.

Here in Florida you can drive at 16 between the hours of 6am and 11 pm. Outside those hours you need to be traveling to and from work only. Not too many teens working the night shift Lol.

[MidwestGolfBum]

I took the class only because in WI it was required to be able to get your permit.

The way I would do things with your son is to get him in the class so he can learn some of the written/technical things, get him out with you in a parking lot or open space until he is more comfortable behind the wheel and then ease him into basically being the DD (driving everywhere will help him learn to deal with various road/traffic situations) whenever possible.

[bkM3]

Originally Posted by MidwestGolfBum

I took the class only because in WI it was required to be able to get your permit.

The way I would do things with your son is to get him in the class so he can learn some of the written/technical things, get him out with you in a parking lot or open space until he is more comfortable behind the wheel and then ease him into basically being the DD (driving everywhere will help him learn to deal with various road/traffic situations) whenever possible.

agree with this. dont hold out on him. my mother in law still wont drive on the highway to get to NY from her home in NJ.

[MYovichZ4]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

You should do both.

Agreed. Dad made sure all of us learned to drive his manual under his watchful eye.


If you are in FL, TX or CA ad anywhere near the UDE events, they have a FREE session for teens (under 21)

BMW Ultimate Driving Experience

[NEFARIOUS]

When I was 14, my dad taught me the basics of on-road driving since we used to go camping way out in the boondocks and didn't want to be screwed if something happened and can't call for help or go to a hospital, so I practiced in the back woods (about 10 miles)... But it paid off since when I met my driving instructor when I was finally of learner's-permit age, he was impressed and I graduated to freeway driving on my 3rd day out of 5 when he usually saves that for dead last.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

I haven’t even thought about buying him his own wheels yet. That’s a whole new set of issues.

At the age of 14 i had a copy of all keys to my parents cars... and took them out regurlally. While they were sleeping, while they were gone for the evening, while they were out of town, etc... I used to take them out and practice 180s on wet roads.

This is a route i wouldn't suggest.

I would do both and add a Teen defensive driving track day. (Usually involves performing emergency lane changes, correcting oversteer, emergency braking, etc...)

When you get a car for him, be sure to register it in his name and make him get his own insurance. It'll be so expensive you'll probably have to supplement him on it, but at least his actions won't cost you any more than what you're giving him for insurance. Having a teen driver on your insurance opens you up to anything he hits and anyone he may injure.

Also, nothing makes a teen boy want to show off more than driving a cool car. A beater is in order.

[F1Venom]

Just drive with him on less busy roads. It's not that hard or scary if he's a good kid.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by 2011CrazE89

I haven't got the paperwork yet. I didn't think the Drivers Ed course was that expensive?

growing up, my dad didn't drive a couple BMW's and my mom worked at Wal-Mart (still does)...

any extra money my parents had didn't need to go to drivers ed.....

imagine growing up and not having your own room until you were 14 years old...

also, imagine your "bedroom" being a living room with a fold out couch that you and your little brother shared....

winter time was awesome - waking up and hauling ass to the kitchen to change clothes because mom had turned the stove on to heat the house....

I was so blessed to be brought up the way I did....

[John 070]

I took driver's ed because it was mandatory, but I started driving at 13. Hopefully when my 9 mo. boy starts driving, he won't be able to sneak out with our cars like I did with my parents. It's truly not a joke, it's life and death. It's simply impossible for a 16 y.o. to drive with the experience of a 30 y.o., even if he starts at 12-13. And 16 y.o. with their own cars are necessarily spoiled. We've all heard the, "I bought myself a new 335is with my own money when I was 16" and had 5 rental properties when I was 17 lies.....

[John 070]

Originally Posted by Litos

mom had turned the stove on to heat the house....

.

That's actually dangerous and on would have to be in such a small room for that to even work (200 sq. ft.?). A gas oven does not put out enough btus to heat a house.