Driving is a big step for most teens and parents. And, learning to drive, in many ways represents a teen’s move towards more independence and responsibility.
If you’ve begun thinking about the driving instruction process and your school does not offer a free program, then you may have weighted your options: driving school or family instruction.
There are of course pros and cons to both options. But, if you’ve already put in the hard work to prepare for and take the learner’s permit exam, then it’s important consider both sides.
Learning to drive is an even more important process than getting a learner’s permit so be sure to properly think about and decide what method works best for you. After all, any habits you pick up during the process may stick with you throughout your driving career.
Family
The biggest upside to learning from family is of course the price. It’s absolutely free.
But, when you take into consideration gas and time it may not be as free as you think.
Chauffeur Method
Many people know someone who learned to drive by being their parent’s personal chauffeur, and that is certainly one way to save on gas and time.
Learning to drive while taking a family member on their everyday errands does not interrupt their daily responsibilities, since they would be doing the same activities either way. This method is flexible and may best suit you and your family member’s schedule.
But learning to drive this way also takes much longer. Students will have to stop the lesson between errands; interrupting the learning process and making it harder to remember and form good habits. They would also have to be on beck-and-call; ready to drive any time their family member has errands.
Scheduling
If you schedule out time for dedicated lessons instead of the chauffeur method, then try to make sure you and your family sticks to that schedule.
Unfortunately, dealing with the schedules of multiple people can often be very difficult. You’ll probably have school for most of the day and then homework/ activities afterwards and they have work and then may be tried from a long day.
Misinformation
There are also several issues that can arise when learning from a family member.
Any bad driving habits your family member has picked up in their driving career will be passed on to you during the learning process.
The driving test is also very different now than when your parents or older family members were teens.
Lastly, your family member may not be familiar with the current rules/ traffic laws and can give you inaccurate information.
Their bad habits and misinformation are manageable in their day to day driving, but your goal is to receive your license, and those issues will end up getting between you and that goal.
Training
Even if your family member is familiar with current regulations/ laws, familiar with the current road test, and has no bad habits to pass on to you, they are still not a trained driving instructor.
Just like any other high school teacher, driving instructors must possess the necessary skills to convey information accurately and effectively.
Unfortunately, family members can become frustrated during the driving instruction process. This is not because they lack desire to properly teach but because they are not as prepared to deal with all the challenges associated with teaching a new driver.
A trained professional is aware and prepared for all of these challenges.
Learning to drive from family
- Pros
Price (It’s FREE)
Flexibility
- Cons
Time frame
Scheduling conflicts/ last minute calculations
Passing on bad habits
Lacking knowledge of up-to-date regulations
Misinformation
Not trained professionals
Driving School
The biggest draw back when learning to drive from an accredited driving school is that it is not free.
There are however options to help reduce or eliminate the cost of private driving instruction. Some states even offer scholarships and grants for low income families. The Georgia Driver’s Education Commission, for instance, offers a scholarship for teens fifteen to seventeen.
Nathan’s Driving School is on the list of approved providers for the Georgia Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship. We will also administer the road test free of charge for any grant recipients who have completed our teen driver’s education program.
Scheduling
While driving schools may not be as flexible as your family member, scheduling out time for your driving lessons is much more reliable. Scheduling out time specifically for your lesson guarantees that time is yours.
Accreditation
Learning from an accredited driving school means you’re learning from a nationally approved institution.
Nathan’s Driving School has a highly trained and knowledgeable staff. It is our instructors’ primary job to pass on accurate, and up-to-date information.
Driving schools help foster good habits to make students better and safer drivers.
Our instructors stay up-to-date with changes in driving laws and regulations and prepare students for these changes.
We are familiar with the road test and are even approved to administer the test at our Chamblee location. Therefore, we can specifically prepare students for the test.
We insure that students know what to expect and can handle any challenges during and after their road test.
Our instructors teach teenagers every day, so they are well versed in effective communication. And, with over 30 years in driver’s education we train our instructors to be prepared for anything.
Learning to drive from a driving School
Pros - Scheduling
- Knowledge of up-to-date regulations
- Effective Communication
- Familiar with road test
- Trained professionals
- Cons
- Price
- Flexibility
