The rightful age of sixteen is a big milestone in any teenager’s life, as well as a stressful and headache-inducing milestone in the lives of their parents. If you are anxious because it is finally time for your teen to get their license, don’t worry. You are not alone. We are here to make this a less challenging experience by laying out all of the necessary steps and requirements needed before your child can flash their new driver’s license and get the first taste of their newfound freedom and responsibility.
Eligibility Requirements for a Teen Driver in California
A teen must first hit the age of between fifteen and a half years old and eighteen years old and they will be required to successfully complete twenty-five hours of classroom instruction with an additional six hours of behind-the-wheel training with a professional and licensed driving instructor.
You must complete a Driver’s Education course that is licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and then you must enroll in a driving training program for the behind-the-wheel experience to obtain your learner’s permit. With a permit, you will practice supervised driving for a minimum of fifty hours, and ten hours must be done at night. After you have completed all of the requirements under the learner’s permit, then you can apply for your California Driver’s license.
To obtain your California Driver’s license, you must pass the vision test, the written examination, as well as the road test.
Why Choose an Online Course?
An online course versus the traditional classroom setting has many advantages. Just be sure that the online traffic school that you choose is licensed in the state in which you are getting your license. Online courses can be completed at your pace; most do not have any hidden fees or additional charges, and you have a next-day delivery option for your certificate of completion in most cases.
The entire course can be done online in the comfort of your own home. Students can learn at their own pace faster, without the added distractions they may have in a traditional classroom setting. If you are a student that carries a GPA of 3.0 or higher, check with the online traffic school you wish to register with as you may be qualified for additional discounts.
Online you can take practice tests, they have easy to read and review chapter sections, instructional videos, animation, and most have unlimited attempts to pass the multiple-choice tests. Most online instruction also comes equipped with online customer support twenty-four hours a day.
Online courses can be started and stopped when you wish and do not have to be completed in just one sitting in a designated amount of time. All of your progress throughout the courses will be saved.
Finally, you will not have to beg your parents to take you somewhere for classroom instruction or pick you up when it is over. Online courses are a quick, affordable, and convenient option for any teen that wants to get their permit and license as hassle-free and easy as possible, with little dependence on more rides from the parental units.
What Do Parents Think?
If you are anything like my family and me, or any other parents in the world, then there is not a lot of time to dedicate to extra activities throughout the work and school week. It could get extremely hectic if you add the responsibility of having to drive your anxious and excited teen to and from driving education classes in town.
How do you avoid this? Look into the online traffic instruction for your teen and quickly reap the benefits while getting your nagging teen off of your back for picking them up too late or forgetting their classroom time altogether.
A few key points to consider while helping choose the right online program for your teen:
- Make sure that the program you are looking at is accredited and licensed in your current state. There are different requirements for teen drivers throughout the states, and you want to be sure that your DMV will accept the Certification of Completion that your teen will be receiving.
- Check online for reviews and ask around with other parents. You will want to choose a reputable company that has been around for a while with a stellar reputation. You want to make sure that you are taking advantage of all of the benefits and rewards you can receive with your purchase.
- Always read the fine print and make sure there are no hidden or additional fees that your credit card will be charged with later. You want to be sure that you know the total amount that the course will cost and if you are not happy with the full amount, then you should shop around for better prices so that you can receive the best results for your hard-earned money.
- Finally, make sure that the online driving course is the best avenue for your teen. Are they okay with working independently and learning on their own? Or would they do better in a supervised classroom setting with other students? Do you have the time to dedicate to making sure your teen gets to and from classes on time? It is an essential step in the license acquisition process, and they may not be offered any makeup classes.
Weigh all of your options and talk with your teen about the best course of completion in which they will be fruitful and knowledgeable drivers that will lead to safer roads and greater peace of mind for the parents when they finally hand their keys over to their newly licensed teen driver for the very first time.
Top 3 Online Driver’s Ed Schools to Check Out
We’re all about getting the best deals, and this includes online driving schools! So we’re going to share the top 3 schools in California. Take a look:
Aceable
With more than 500,000 satisfied students, Aceable is a school you should definitely look into. While they do offer other classes, they are well-known for their Driver’s Ed courses.
Aside from being 100% online, Aceable’s software is so well-made that it works on almost any smartphone. Their classes are also self-paced, so your teen can practically start and stop their lessons at their convenience.
They have pop-up questions, videos, and even memes to keep your teen entertained while studying!
DriversEd.com
Another great school that has interactive lessons and relevant content is DriversEd.com. They’re also 100% online, self-paced, and affordable. They even offer package deals that include in-person drives with instructors.
What’s more, they have 24/7 customer service. So if you’re experiencing some technical troubles, feel free to hit them up!
Not sure if your teen can commit? Don’t worry, DriversEd.com allows you to try 20% of their courses FOR FREE!
They even allow your teen to earn high school credit. Make sure to ask around if you can take advantage of this handy benefit.
MyImprov.com
If you’re really looking to make driver’s ed classes entertaining for your moody teen, then MyImprov.com will be a perfect choice.
Just like the previously mentioned schools, they are 100% online, self-paced, mobile-friendly, and affordable. But what sets them apart is that they’re hilarious!
Aside from relevant content, MyImprov.com makes sure to make learning as fun as possible by including witty jokes and one-liners into their lessons.
So which one should you go for?
Well, grab your teen and find out. Since they will be the ones to take the classes, it’s important that they are fully aware of what they’re about to get themselves into.
The best way to avoid any “flaking” on your teen’s part is to get them to choose the school that they like. But be sure to set some boundaries, such as your budget, location, etc.