5 Reasons to enroll your teen in driving school

Drivers Ed

As any parent who has lived the nightmare will attest, the only thing more stressful than the idea of your teen leaving the driveway at the wheel of a car, is sitting in the passenger seat next to them. For this reason alone, driver training is best left to the professionals, but when you consider that Canadian teens are up to four times more likely to be involved in a fatal car collision than adults, driving lessons no longer seem optional, but essential. Here are just a few of the benefits of enrolling your teen in a professional driver-training course:

Teen girl in drivers ed

They'll learn what's right, for right now

Teens who participate in the classroom or online practical portions of driver-training courses learn up-to-date rules of the road, such as the latest recommendations about where to put your hands on the steering wheel, how to handle tricky new intersections, and how to deal with traffic congestion and distractions. Better still, they learn all the rules of the road, not just the ones they come across routinely in day-to-day driving around town.

No bad habits please

We all know Canadians are terrific drivers, (we at least like to think so!) but most of us have picked up a few bad habits over the years. Having your teen schooled in the finer points of handling an automobile by a professional prevents inadvertently passing on these quirks, and guarantees they'll start out on the right track with accurate information. While your time-ingrained tendencies may not seem so bad, they could cause problems for a less experienced driver.

Insurance perks

It costs more to insure a new driver in Canada due to the risks associated with inexperience and based on teen driving statistics, however, those who complete government-approved driver training courses should find that they qualify for a discount on their rate, and may even be able to move up through the graduated licensing a little quicker. Try finding listings of approved driver learning centres online, such as this one for the Province of Ontario.

It's practical

Driver training courses such as Young Drivers of Canada offer comprehensive in-car lessons addressing important areas such as emergency maneuvers for collision avoidance, cognitive training, highway driving, defensive driving techniques, as well as special optional training for night driving, driving in gravel, and the biggie - operating a vehicle in the snow of Canadian winters!

Peace of mind

Your teen will have confidence going into their licensing test because they will have undergone practice tests and may be able to use the same car they have learned in for their examination. They will also be more self-assured drivers. You, as a parent, will have peace of mind knowing your teen will be safer on the roads because they've been properly trained and tested - you might even be able to ride in the passenger seat without white-knuckling the upholstery!