Why I Did Not Let My Teenager Get His Driver's License

My son brought home a paper with the information for drivers training and the costs that were charged for it. I was flabbergasted at the costs they were trying to charge for getting my son just into their classroom, not behind the wheel. In my part of the country the local public school no longer offers drivers education, the cost is way too high. Insurance is just outrageous and the public school systems can no longer justify an expense like this. Now the teens under 18 who want to get a license have to go to a private company to receive that very necessary step toward getting their license.

In Minnesota you have to complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and then an on the road drivers training course. Plus the other things like have a permit and tool around town in mom and dad's car for six months after completing the behind the wheel training at a private facility or company. This has to be at one of the private and kind of expensive companies that offer this kind of instruction. Some companies that used to offer classes in specialty licenses such as semi or what is called a CDL license have branched out and are now offering this as a way to make even more money.

In my town, which is right next to Fargo, North Dakota, you have one choice. There is another in Fargo so in the Fargo Moorhead area there are two places to go to get your behind the wheel course done at.

When I got my license almost 25 years ago you took a class at high school and they tossed you into a car some local dealer donated with big signs with his logos on it. You got that much needed on the road experience not in the family wagon but in a car that was a dealers and the school provided a teacher for you to get that basic instruction from. Now you have to pay a company to do this course, and pay a lot. I supposed it is pretty cheap with the cost of insurance and upkeep on the vehicles they have you driving but it is still kind of expensive. Over $200 just for the behind the wheel course.