Important Drivers Ed Considerations for Parents and Teens
Realizing that your child is almost old enough for driving can be scary for most parents. That’s when they start thinking about driver’s education classes. Taking the classes are a necessary first step for obtaining a driver’s license, but sometimes attending them can be challenging for both the kids and their parents.
These courses, which include all the basics of driving safety, traffic signs and laws as brick-and-mortar classes do, can be advantageous, even when they’re not required. If you have a teenager who’s approaching driving age, here are some of the advantages and basic considerations of online driver’s education classes.
Benefits for Teens and Parents
Some of the main reasons online classes are popular include:
- Convenience — This is one of the primary perks for taking driver’s education classes online. For example, students can log in or log out at any time of the day or night. This is a huge benefit if your teens are unable to attend regular classes because of conflicts in their schedules.
- Round-the-clock support — Most online driver’s education courses offer support, 24/7, meaning there’s always someone who can help students with questions.
- No time limits — Students don’t have to rush through the course. They can work at whatever pace is best for them. This is particularly advantageous if they’re involved with after-school activities or work at part-time jobs.
- Saves you money — Because kids don’t need transportation to go to classes, parents save money on gas, in addition to time in their busy schedules.
- Comfort — It doesn’t matter what your kids wear or where they study as they can do the work dressed comfortably, anywhere.
- Learning Options — Because kids learn differently, many online driver's ed schools let students choose the method of how they learn the course materials. For instance, teens who are visual learner can simply read text materials, while audio learners can take advantage of audio narrations. Kids who are distracted by audio can simply mute the audio function.
The Importance of Communication
Just as any type of course, the key to being successful in taking online driver’s education courses is good communication. In fact, effective communication is even more critical when you take courses online.
Rather than having specific teachers, most online driver's ed schools have support staffs with knowledgeable customer service representatives who are able to help students with any issues they may have. Whenever teens have questions about course materials, they should contact a support agent.
It's important to be as direct as possible when asking questions. Besides asking about the content of a driver’s education course, tell your kids to also inquire about course procedures and how their work will be evaluated.
Considerations and Warnings
- States vary in their requirements. So make sure to verify the actual requirements for your state.
- If you live in the country or a remote area, online driving classes can be exceptionally helpful.
- Be sure that an online driver’s education program, is approved in your state before enrolling.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints, regarding a school you're considering.
- Don't choose online schools that are just getting started.
- See if a school charges a reactivation fee. Some schools have this fee for students who fail to finish their course within a certain time period. In other words, read the fine print.
- Stress to your teens the importance of managing their time effectively. Consider that courses can require even more discipline in time management than physical classes. This is because you can easily waste time when an instructor isn’t staring down at you. Therefore, teach your teen how to designate specific time blocks for working on class material.
Once teens have successfully completed their online driver’s education courses, they will be on their way to obtaining their driver’s license. Please contact us so that we can answer any questions.