Perhaps your teenager is now old enough to learn to drive. The state you live in goes by age, not maturity. You are the one who has to use good judgment. You have to take it slow and easy and let your teen know, that driving is a privilege and not a right. Abusing that privilege will result in major consequences. BE SURE TO KEEP THE LINK
Driving is costly. It is not just the vehicle and the gasoline that drive expenses up but the constant practice and possible damage as well that needs to be thought off while teaching or learning driving. In this article, we will share 7-ways to keep your costs down during this journey.
1. Study, study, and study
You (or your child) may know how to handle a vehicle quite well. But, the fact is they are going to have to take a written test. That test can be confusing. Let’s face it, so can driving. The law requires they pass the test before they can take the driving test and get their license.
Every time they take the test, they have to pay to take it. It is much less expensive to pass it on your first try. Therefore the key step towards driving it to study the driver’s manual. There are free programs on the internet that will give a variety of test. This is good practice. They do not give you the same test every time. The questions are randomly selected and they will be on the driver’s test. So, passing a few of these tests will greatly increase the chances of only being tested once.
Also, if you are a parent who knows how to drive, don’t assume that you can teach your experience easily. You must do your reading on how to teach driving before you give your child some lessons.
2. Select the right driving instructor
It can cost a bit to go through a driver’s instruction course, but it is worth it. The cost is just one of the many things to consider so do not go by money alone. Ask around and find a good teacher. Make sure he/she is accredited. You can try to teach your kid by yourself, but they may be at a disadvantage. Testing is a lot more difficult today than it was a few years ago. Teaching yourself could result in having to take the written test repeatedly.
Depending on where you live, you could be required to take a certain number of classes before you can apply for a license. Be sure you understand what is required and find an instructor who wants to work with you. If you take the tests and fail, you may have to pay for the driver’s classes again. You will save a lot of money if you find the right person to teach you and you do not have to add time to get extra help.
3. Plan your lessons to Double-up your classes
Most people schedule their driver’s lessons in one-hour segments. But, if you are a new driver, one hour may just get you going well. Instead, schedule 2-hour classes. You will get more time to practice and you will be ready to take your test faster.
If you have learnt the theory, you don’t need to repeat it in the lessons and you can request the instructor to reduce the theory lessons or replace them with more of practice lessons. This is helpful in saving your money, giving you more time to apply what you know already.
4. Get your full lesson – no second driver
There are instructors who instruct you to stop and so that they can pick the next student near the end of your lesson. This is unfair. You paid for the full amount of time, therefore you should be given your due time and attention. If something of that sort happens, make sure you speak about it and say no to such a routine.
5. Practice with a licensed adult in your family
No driving lesson is complete without thorough practice. Practice saves your money, gives you command over your lessons and most importantly gives you confidence that you can drive well. If you have an adult in the family, practice your lessons with them so that you remember what you have learnt.
6. Learners insurance
Often you can save money by being added as a learner on someone else’s policy. Ask your agent how long you can keep the insurance that is a lower rate.
7. Ask about a cheaper time to take the tests.
Often times you can get a discount by scheduling your test midweek. The busy weekends are prime time, and they charge a bit more to test learners.
Driving must be one of the essentials in every person’s to-do-list. It makes you not only independent but also makes your life convenient and daily chores easier.