As your teenager gets his or her license, they are probably interested in getting their own used car to drive. Getting a car has several different pros and cons that should be weighed and discussed as a family before giving them their own set of wheels. From increased responsibility to extra regular expenses, below are just a few pros and cons of teenage car ownership.

Pro – Gaining Their Independence
Providing your teenager with a car to drive means that they are able to explore the world around them and gain their own independence. As your children grow older, it may be time for them to spread their wings and fly. With a vehicle to drive, they no longer have to rely on their parents, friends and family for rides to school, social events, activities and more. Constantly driving your teens around can be a huge hassle for busy parents. Being able to drive their own car means increased responsibility for your teens and the ability to drive themselves from one place to the next.

Pro – An Increase in Responsibility
Providing a car for your teenager to drive means that they will have more responsibilities than they did before. From making sure that there is enough gas in the car to properly taking care of the vehicle and looking out for not only their own safety, but for others safety on the road, driving has many new responsibilities associated with it for teenagers. You can encourage them to care for their car by having them fill it with gas and clean in. Examine their car on a regular basis to ensure they are ready for the continued responsibilities.

Pro – More Experience
Having a car to drive on their own means that your teenager will gain more experience on the road which can be extremely beneficial in the future. It is always better to learn sooner than later. Being out on the road driving is the only way to gain the experience that is needed for traveling from one place to the next. Driving may be required on a day to day basis in the future from your workplace or to visit friends and family.

Con – Lack of Experience
The number one concern among parents of teenagers is that they may not have enough experience just yet for their own car. Because they have only been driving for a short period of time, you may be concerned that they will be faced with a dangerous situation on the road that they do not know how to handle.

Con – Potential Accidents
Providing your teenager with a car to drive may be a scary situation for you. One con is the risk of getting into an accident. This could even be due to another driver on the road. Not only could this damage their vehicle, but could also cause serious injuries. Your teens can help to avoid this situation by always driving safely and with caution in their car that you have provided them with. Lay down the ground rules and make sure you teens don’t use their phones or get distracted while driving.

Con – Extra Expenses
A huge con in providing a car for your teenager to drive is the extra expenses that go along with car ownership. This includes paying for the car, gas, and car insurance which is necessary to have. Your teenager must be able to handle these extra expenses before taking on the responsibility of car ownership. If you don’t feel comfortable taking on the extra expense to provide your teenagers a car, consider having them pay for some of it themselves. You can save money by buying a used Hyundai car in Dallas. You can also have your teen take on a part time job or do extra household chores to cover gas or insurance expenses. Having your teenager help pay for the car will encourage them to take better car of it and be more responsible with it.

Car ownership for teenagers can be extremely beneficial if handled correctly. It can not only save you the time of driving your teenagers back and forth from their activities, but it can encourage responsibility. Before giving your child a car, it is important to ensure that they are ready to handle the responsibility both with finances and on the road.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents of teen drivers.