Drivers' Ed

[lillian12]

Dang, this class has changed since I was a teenager. My son has to go six days a week, two hours a day, for three weeks, then he has to have fourteen additional hours of driving training that he has to do in two-hour blocks, which it looks like we're going to have to schedule months in advance. After three days in class, he takes his driver's permit test, which they send in to DPS with a passport, original social security card, original report card, and verification from the school that he is currently enrolled. I also have about five pages I have to sign, and one has to be notarized. Good grief! They do not allow any modifications or accommodations for taking the permit test, either, but I don't think he's going to need them. Today was his second day of class, and he's doing fine on the pre-tests (89 and 95). Still, they told me that they are "honest" with parents and tell them their child shouldn't take the class, if they have a child in SPED, who is failing the pre-tests. Even after taking the permit test, the children are tested everyday at the end of class and must pass a final exam. Man, it's like summer school. Was it this way for your kids?

[bros]

Wow.

At my school, we took drivers ed in the second marking period (November-Early February basically), spent 8/10 weeks learning about the rules of the road. Then our midterm was taking the written exam.

In the state, you need 6 hours of driver training from an accredited place to get the provisional license. Then when you are 18, you need to pass the road test to get the regular license.

[healthy11]

Illinois is supposed to have one of the toughest teen driving laws in the U.S., as far as full-licensing (It just changed 1/1/08, and I think it now requires 100 hours driving recorded behind the wheel with a parent or guardian, over a minimum 9-month period, because the want kids to experience all-weather driving, including snow.) My son only needed 50 hours and a 3-month permit time before he could get his license, but we let him get his permit right when he turned 15, and you can't test for a license until 16, so he had a full year with us, anyway.

The part I don't like in your case, Lillian, is having to send in his original social security card and passport...It would seem like the identity thieves would just "hover" over mail being sent to your DPS. We just had to bring the ID's to a local Secretary of State's driver's test facility, and they gave it right back to us...

[lillian]

I know, Healthy. I feel the same way about the original documents. They have about 80 kids a month go through the program, so I guess it's O.K., but I don't like it. If we don't want to give the original documents to them, which we are supposed to get back in two weeks, then we have to go to DPS, but my son will have to take the permit test over again at DPS. They won't accept his test from drivers' ed, which doesn't make any sense to me.

I don't know how it is in Illinois, but there are many kids here, who aren't getting their drivers' licenses when they turn 16. My son has a couple of friends who are sixteen, and they don't even have their permits, yet. I think that the state's making getting a permit this difficult and time consuming is keeping a lot of kids from getting licenses, which, I bet, is just fine with the state. It's really difficult for the kids and the parents to do all that's required. I've already spent hours at Social Security, getting an original Social Security card, which we never had on my son. I had a number, but I never had a card. This morning, I have to go get a form notarized. Monday-Saturday for three weeks, someone has to take him and pick him up two hours later from class. It's a pain for him and for us!

[sisdparent]

Yikes, I'm glad ours isn't this difficult. Texas allows the parent taught option (which we did because it was on our schedule). They used the online service for the classroom portion (you do have to have a good internet connection for it) and then I did the vehicle instruction. So far I've made it through twice and I'm heading for #3 in November. Could I interest anyone in adopting my Insurance Agent? I'm fairly sure I can claim his as a dependent now!

[tootallmom]

Lillian,

Hi everyone, I am a new member here (switched over from Schwab) with a now 16 year old son (ADD-IN, Written Expression LD), who just took his first round of Driver's Education, here in Michigan.

Michigan has a very similar program to Illinois, a graduated program. Totally different from our day, when the local school teachers taught about 60 kids in the classroom during the summer, and then took us out in groups of 4 to ride around town!

15-16 year olds have to attend 24 hours of classroom material from accredited companies, have 6 hours behind the wheel with the instructors, and pass a written exam, to get a Segment 1 license. This allows the driver to drive only with a parent/approved guardian in the car, for a minimum of 3 months and 50 hours of driving. Then they have to attend another 6 hours of classroom instruction and pass a State Road test. Then they get a Segment 2. Which is like a full license, with a restriction of no driving from midnight to 5:00 am. They have to have this level for a minimum of 6 months During this entire time, they are on probation, which means they cannot get any tickets/moving violations/etc. If they manage to do that, then they can get their full license at 17.

And like you, we had to take a minimum of 4 types of personal identification for our son to the Department of Motor Vehicles. He had to have a certified Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, a photo ID of some sort (we used his school ID), school transcripts, etc. I do understand the purpose behind it all, they want to ensure that he is a legal US Resident and actually lives in the state. But you are right, it was definitely a pain in the rear!

Now the even bigger issue, is his driving! It is extremely difficult for me to ride with him. His attention to things changes from day to day. He can forget to look before pulling out, he has a hard time judging oncoming traffic speeds, so sometimes he pulls out into traffic when he shouldn't. Forgets to look at traffic lights, doesn't keep within speed limits, I could go on and on!!

So even though this state mandated program is a rear pain in the behind, I think it is an excellent thing!! Even for NT kids it sure doesn't hurt to have lots of practice before they get their license. We have already informed our son that there is no way he is getting his Segment 2 license until at least next spring. He needs the extra time, and the experience of driving in the snow. Now if I can just live through it all

Debbie

[sisdparent]

My kids were able to use their Passports to meet their identification requirements. They do have to have their Verification of Enrollments in school to get their license and to renew it every year until they're 18. They also have to submit their report cards to the Insurance company for renewal.

My LD kids are pretty good drivers. My oldest son is a complete "granny". My typical child is my worst driver.... she gets mad if you remind her of something and she gets mad if you don't..... just love those mood swings. When we were on the way home from San Antonio, I asked her to drive for a couple of hours. I told her we were only going 68 to improve gas mileage. I dozed off for a while and when I woke up she was doing 84 (the posted speed is 80).

[bros]

In NJ, we need 6 "points" of identification. I brought my original birth certificate, Passport, Original social security card (wasn't able to be used because it has a different name from the rest of my legal documents, eek!), and a report card from school to prove my address.

[vickilyn32]

Amber has her permit now and we are doing the parent taught driver ed class. We are not doing it online, most of the parents here print out the paperwork and then they turn it in to DPS. Our school dosent even offer drivers ed. If we want to take it she has to go to the nearest city 45 miles away. I cant get her there for that long a time so we have no choice but to do it ourselves. Most of the time Texas will waive the drivers road test after the kids complete the course, but because of Ambers loss of vision in one eye, she still has to take the road test. She also had to have a form filled out from the Doc saying that she has no restrictions on her permit or license and that glasses will not improve her vision. What a pain that was.
For identification we used birth certificate, S.S. card, and a proof of enrollment form from the school.

[bros]

Aug 7, 2008 11:43:46 GMT -5 vickilyn32 said:

Amber has her permit now and we are doing the parent taught driver ed class. We are not doing it online, most of the parents here print out the paperwork and then they turn it in to DPS. Our school dosent even offer drivers ed. If we want to take it she has to go to the nearest city 45 miles away. I cant get her there for that long a time so we have no choice but to do it ourselves. Most of the time Texas will waive the drivers road test after the kids complete the course, but because of Ambers loss of vision in one eye, she still has to take the road test. She also had to have a form filled out from the Doc saying that she has no restrictions on her permit or license and that glasses will not improve her vision. What a pain that was.
For identification we used birth certificate, S.S. card, and a proof of enrollment form from the school.

I had to get a note from my opthalmologist too. He had to say even though I am basically blind in one eye, I can drive with glasses. My left eye has amblopyia and an estimated 20/200 vision, they can't determine what the vision is because of my nystagmus.

[healthy11]

What's interesting (not that this affects most families) is that Illinois offers a motorcycle training program for $20 per person, where you get 20 hours of instruction and use of their bikes, and they teach you how to ride. You have to already hold a valid drivers license, and reserve your spot months in advance, but my husband thought it would be a neat "family" thing to do when our son turned 16. After all was said and done, you take a written test and road test (in a parking lot) and if you pass and you're over age 18, you automatically get your motorcycle license. My son ended up with the BEST driving score of any of the 20 students in the class, but because of his age, he's the only one who had to go take the test again at the Driver's License Facility. My husband and son are both about 6 ft. tall, and so the motorcycle he bought works well for both of them, but I'm too short to even have my feet touch the ground...I don't care, really...I prefer air conditioned vehicles without stones pelting me...

[lillian12]

;D My days of enjoying motorcyles are over, Healthy!

My son is doing very well in drivers' ed, thus far. He made a "90 something," he said, on his permit test. I've turned in all the paperwork, and we should have his actual permit in about a week-and-a-half, then I get to teach him how to drive. That's the part I'm looking forward to.

[bros]

Yay!

I got an 86 on my permit test <_< Then I when I was able to get my permit, we had to get a form filled out by the eye doctor (a note from the doc doesn't cut it). Here in NJ, parents showing kids how to drive doesn't count towards the hours required to get a license

Good luck.