Are Teenagers Mentally Ready to Drive?

A Teachable Spirit

• If your teenager demonstrates a willingness to learn and accepts instruction and correction with grace, it's one sign that she is ready for driver training, advises the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. If however, she displays a willful or arrogant overconfidence and insistence on doing it her own way without proper attention to conventions and rules, you are probably better off making her wait. A teenager who is mentally ready to drive will take the time to study the driver's manual and learn how to be a safe driver. If she expects to just wing it and hope for the best, it does not bode well for her handling the responsibility of driving.

Sense and Sensibility

• As a parent, your first concern is your teen's safety and that of those who might be affected by his actions. A good gauge of how responsible he will be as a driver is to look at how he handles his responsibilities at home and school, suggests the National Safety Council. If he is conscientious about completing his chores, getting his schoolwork done and doing well in school, choosing friends well and resisting peer pressure, he is less likely to make foolish or impulsive decisions while driving. If he tries to take shortcuts to avoid responsibilities, lets his friends steamroll him into foolish choices, he is less likely to take safe driving seriously and more likely to injure himself or others in the process so it would be better to let him mature a while longer before letting him drive.

Respect for Authority

• Safe driving requires following rules. So, Stephanie Rogers of the Mother Earth Network explains, if your teen has a hard time following rules and respecting authority at home or school, his habit of flouting rules at home and school or treating them as rough guidelines is likely to carry over into driving where it can put him and others at risk. A teen who is mentally ready to drive will know that rules and laws are there for her protection and abide by them.

Medical Concerns

• Even if your teen is normally respectful, responsible, conscientious and sensible, you should consider whether there are any physical or medical issues that could interfere with good judgment and safety while driving, recommends the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. For example, if your child suffers from poor vision, diabetes or epilepsy, you may want to consult your doctor on whether driving is a safe option for this child. Other issues such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental disabilities or learning challenges or other conditions that require medication should also be discussed with your doctor to determine the effect the medication may have on reaction time or mental judgment while driving. If you know your child struggles with drugs or alcohol, driving is a privilege that can wait.