10 Reasons to Get Your Driver's License as a Teen & 10 Reasons to Get It Later in Life Instead
10 Reasons to Get Your Driver's License as a Teen & 10 Reasons to Get It Later in Life Instead
When Is the "Right" Time to Learn How to Drive?
When did you get your driver's license? Did you get it right when you hit the legal age, or have you still not gotten behind the wheel yet? On that note, is it better to get your license when you're young or when you're more mature? While there's technically no right or wrong answer, there could be factors that could affect your ultimate decision. Here are valid reasons why it might be better to start driving as a teen—or why it might be better to wait until you're older.
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1. You Don't Have to Be Reliant on Others
One of the best things about getting your driver's license early? You no longer have to rely on your parents, siblings, or friends to drive you around. You can just ask for the keys and go run your errands and do mini road trips yourself.
2. You Can Go Anywhere
As long as you've got the O.K from your parents, you can practically go anywhere. Pet shop that's an hour away? A new restaurant you've been meaning to try with your best friends that's on the other side of town? Easy—you can just drive there now.
3. You Can Drive Your Friends & Family
The tables have turned: now you're the one who's giving your friends and family rides. This means you're already on your way to becoming a responsible adult. Plus, driving your parents means you get to take the car for the rest of the day, or whenever they need to be picked back up.
4. You're Braver When You're Young
One advantage of getting your license as a teen is that you're usually braver when you're young. You'll be more motivated seeing your friends get it as well, and you're more likely to want to challenge yourself and go outside your comfort zone.
5. Better Job Opportunities
With a car and being able to drive, you're opening up more avenues and job opportunities. Unless you live in a city where public transit is extremely convenient, not obtaining your license young means you'll be limited and have to be strategic when doing your job search.
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6. Shorter Commute Times
Another great advantage of getting your license young? You'll have much shorter commute times. Whether you're driving to work or school, having a car and being able to drive means you won't have to wake up as early to catch the train. (You will, however, still need to deal with traffic and rush hours.)
7. Accumulate More Driving Experience Earlier
Getting your license young means you'll be able to accumulate your driving experience earlier. By the time you're in your mid-twenties, you'll already have a decade of experience being on the road. Not only does this give you more insurance discounts, but you'll also build more confidence from early on.
8. Builds Responsibility
Driving a car is a big responsibility in itself, given the dangers and risks that come with it, but having a car also builds responsibility in other ways. For one, you'll need to keep it regularly maintained, as well as pay for insurance and gas—all of which can be financially taxing for teenagers.
9. Pathway to Independence
Getting your license young is also the first step toward independence. Now that you can drive yourself around, you can go and explore more of the world. And, if you're moving for college and have your own car, knowing how to drive will make everything much more convenient.
10. Driving Is Fun, Freeing, & Therapeutic
Another big advantage? Driving is fun! It's freeing, therapeutic, and having the car to yourself means you can blast the music you want, go to the places you want, and go any time you want. Who doesn't like the sound of that?
But of course, there could also be reasons why someone would rather delay getting their license than to jump the gun. Let's explore 10 reasons why it might actually be better to get it later in life instead.
1. You're More Responsible
Getting your license as an adult means you'll be more responsible and understand how to make better decisions. For example, you likely won't speed or do risky maneuvers just to impress friends, or get behind the wheel under the influence.
2. You're More Financially Capable
You'll likely be much more financially capable and equipped as an adult than as a teen, so getting your license later in life makes sense. With how expensive it is to drive and own a car, postponing means you'll be able to save up more money early on, when you're still young.
3. You Understand the Risks & Consequences
There's a reason why teens have high accident rates: they're young and reckless. Sure, their bravery can be helpful in some ways, but they may also adopt the mindset that they can do anything on the road. As an adult, though, you'll have a much better understanding of the risks and consequences of driving and being in a car. This means you're less likely to put you and your passengers—and other road users—in dangerous situations.
4. You Can Rely on Public Transit
If you live in a city where public transportation is fairly convenient or it's easy to trek around, there's no reason to get your license right away; in fact, it might even increase your commute time. But if you decide to move somewhere new as an adult, then it might be more sensible to want to learn how to drive then.
5. There's More Reason for You to Get It as an Adult
While it's understandable why teens would want to get their license right away, there's usually more reason for you to get it as an adult. For example, if you get married and have kids of your own, you'll probably want to be able to drive them to school and extracurriculars.
6. You Can Prioritize Other Things in Life First
Not getting your license as a teen means you won't need to deal with the burden of owning and maintaining a car in those stressful years of adolescence. Instead, you'll be able to prioritize your education, career path, and mental and physical health—rather than thinking about the money you'll need to keep a car running.
7. You Have Better Emotional Maturity
You'll also have more emotional maturity as an adult. And, coupled with the fact that you'll probably better understand the risks and consequences of the road, you'll likely know to avoid getting behind the wheel when you're experiencing intense emotions. You'll also have more patience and awareness—key things you'll need to be a safe driver.
8. Encourages Building Sustainable Habits
Rather than getting a car as a teen, why not rely on more sustainable modes of transportation first? Unless you have very practical reasons why you can't take this option (say, for example, your work and school are inaccessible by transit), it's better both for the environment and your physical health to take the bus, train, or bike instead.
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9. You Might Get Better Insurance Quotes
While being a new, inexperienced driver will increase your rates no matter what age you are, and insurance quotes can fluctuate depending on various factors, you might get slightly lower costs as an adult. Teens usually face the highest insurance premiums because they're riskier drivers, but someone getting their license in their 30s might prove to be more credible and responsible.
10. More Time to Build Your Readiness
Getting your license later in life means you have more time to build your confidence and readiness. Driving might come easy to some, but it's still an incredibly big responsibility to handle a vehicle—something that might not cross your mind as much when you're a young teen. Waiting until you're more mature means you'll be able to better grasp just how big that responsibility is, and how you can become a safe driver.
