5 ms·

Can anybody tell me if it's the same for young americans as it is for young british drivers? I can't drive at the moment because the lessons cost £40 an hour, t

Can anybody tell me if it's the same for young americans as it is for young british drivers? I can't drive at the moment because the lessons cost £40 an hour, the test costs ~£150 with car hire. Insurance can cost up to £4k a year and petrol for my commute would cost me about £70 a week.

yardie 14y ago
Former young American: Lessons? Have your parents drive you to the park or just whip around the neighbourhood until you're confident to go on the main streets. Driving schools are available (much fewer than in the UK or europe) and the only ones that use them are people that have them as a court requirement. The test was $50 when I took it. The learners permit is written only. A few weeks/months later you can drive back to the licensing office to take the driving exam. You'll need a car, any car from a licensed driver will do. Insurance will be about $180 or £1400. I paid less than that because I had high grades (responsible student discount), no loan on the car, and I took the state minimum with the sketchiest insurance company I could find. I paid about $100/mo for petrol. Until 17 you can only go to school and work during the week, weekends affords you more freedoms. Working 20hrs/week part-time it's feasible to operate a car. While everyone goes on about how public transport is great. I don't see anyone bringing SCUBA gear on a bus, or moving apartments. Having a car meant freedom. Freedom to date, go places, and do things.
- andyhmltn 14y ago
  Hmm, when you said $180 or £1400. Did you mean $1800 or £140? I could operate a car easily with the amount that I'm earning now, but when you compare that £5k+ cost to £120 a month for unlimited train use, it's really not something I've spent a lot of time contemplating.
  - yardie 14y ago
    Sorry, it was $180/mo. but I've never met anyone that ever paid that much unless they were a seriously bad driver or wealthy. Most students I knew were driving an old beater or the family car. The former (like me) would find whatever was cheapest and the latter had it included in the parents insurance so didn't know their exact contribution. Speeding tickets were the main way to lose your license. Most families can tolerate the bump in adding a teenage driver, almost none will be as forgiving when the rates go up even after 1 ticket.
    - andyhmltn 14y ago
      That's really cheap compared to what I'm going to pay!
- TheCoelacanth 14y ago
  > Driving schools are available (much fewer than in the UK or europe) and the only ones that use them are people that have them as a court requirement. Increasingly, taking some kind of formalized classes is becoming a requirement to get a license. When I got my license in Virginia in 2005, anyone under 18 was required to take something like 5 hours of driving classes in lieu of the normal driving exam. I believe the requirement has increased since then.
  - yardie 14y ago
    I looked at my state, Florida. They require a class on alcoholism and drunk driving. This can be taken online and it's for all first time drivers. Teens only have restricted operational hours, which exclude school and work.
- eli_gottlieb 14y ago
  I got my license at age 23 in MA last year. For someone below the age of 18, you basically had to do formal lessons. For someone long-since above 18, formal lessons were a Good Idea because the teacher would coach you on how to pass a road test (as opposed to how to drive in MA, which is a separate skill).

yardie 14y ago

Former young American: Lessons? Have your parents drive you to the park or just whip around the neighbourhood until you're confident to go on the main streets. Driving schools are available (much fewer than in the UK or europe) and the only ones that use them are people that have them as a court requirement. The test was $50 when I took it. The learners permit is written only. A few weeks/months later you can drive back to the licensing office to take the driving exam. You'll need a car, any car from a licensed driver will do. Insurance will be about $180 or £1400. I paid less than that because I had high grades (responsible student discount), no loan on the car, and I took the state minimum with the sketchiest insurance company I could find. I paid about $100/mo for petrol. Until 17 you can only go to school and work during the week, weekends affords you more freedoms. Working 20hrs/week part-time it's feasible to operate a car. While everyone goes on about how public transport is great. I don't see anyone bringing SCUBA gear on a bus, or moving apartments. Having a car meant freedom. Freedom to date, go places, and do things.

andyhmltn 14y ago
Hmm, when you said $180 or £1400. Did you mean $1800 or £140? I could operate a car easily with the amount that I'm earning now, but when you compare that £5k+ cost to £120 a month for unlimited train use, it's really not something I've spent a lot of time contemplating.
- yardie 14y ago
  Sorry, it was $180/mo. but I've never met anyone that ever paid that much unless they were a seriously bad driver or wealthy. Most students I knew were driving an old beater or the family car. The former (like me) would find whatever was cheapest and the latter had it included in the parents insurance so didn't know their exact contribution. Speeding tickets were the main way to lose your license. Most families can tolerate the bump in adding a teenage driver, almost none will be as forgiving when the rates go up even after 1 ticket.
  - andyhmltn 14y ago
    That's really cheap compared to what I'm going to pay!
TheCoelacanth 14y ago
> Driving schools are available (much fewer than in the UK or europe) and the only ones that use them are people that have them as a court requirement. Increasingly, taking some kind of formalized classes is becoming a requirement to get a license. When I got my license in Virginia in 2005, anyone under 18 was required to take something like 5 hours of driving classes in lieu of the normal driving exam. I believe the requirement has increased since then.
- yardie 14y ago
  I looked at my state, Florida. They require a class on alcoholism and drunk driving. This can be taken online and it's for all first time drivers. Teens only have restricted operational hours, which exclude school and work.
eli_gottlieb 14y ago
I got my license at age 23 in MA last year. For someone below the age of 18, you basically had to do formal lessons. For someone long-since above 18, formal lessons were a Good Idea because the teacher would coach you on how to pass a road test (as opposed to how to drive in MA, which is a separate skill).