Teen Driving and Co-Parenting
Tips for navigating teen driving with your co-parent.
When your child enters their teenage years, there’s suddenly a whole new list of topics you need to discuss with your co-parent. One of the most critical aspects of co-parenting your teen is helping them learn how to drive. You and your co-parent should take time to learn standard road rules and consider how you’ll share responsibilities for teaching them how to drive. From there, you can set expectations that apply to both homes.
How does car insurance work for teens?
Car insurance costs can rise significantly when coverage is added for anyone under the age of 25. Combined with the complication of potentially having more than one car insurance provider, the costs and policy changes can be confusing. You and your ex can look for different ways to find better car insurance rates that include coverage for your new teen driver and still fit within each budget.
Since your teenager is a member of two households, you and your co-parent should discuss policy rules and changes with each of your auto insurance companies to follow any necessary guidelines. If your kid has regular access to a car at both households, they may need to be listed on both policies. Coverage can sometimes impact which co-parent’s car a teen can drive, so it’s vital to work with your insurance provider directly.
What guidelines should my co-parent and I set for our driving teen?
The best way to ensure your teen learns how to drive safely is by working with your co-parent to set guidelines for everyone to follow in the new circumstances you’ll experience. Every expectation should support the overall goal of making it easier and more productive to communicate with your teenager and their other parent. Here are three main things to consider when creating guidelines as your teen starts driving.
1. Costs
There are many other costs associated with teen driving aside from insurance. Planning for these expenses ahead of time can help you and your co-parent avoid conflict down the road. If you and your co-parent want an easier way to manage shared driving expenses for your teen, TalkingParents offers an Accountable Payments feature that takes the stress out of organizing and documenting payments.
You and your co-parent should discuss how you would split common expenses like:
- Driver’s ed classes
- Permit and license fees
- Car payments
- Gas and tolls
- Car maintenance costs
- Potential traffic tickets
2. Rules
Each state has its own rules and regulations for teen drivers, and it’s vital to follow them. Still, it’s beneficial for you and your co-parent to set additional boundaries and rules for your teenager as well. It’s best if you can implement consistent guidelines between households, although that may not be possible if you parallel parent. In either case, you should talk to your teen to make sure they understand what they can and can’t do.
Some questions that can help you consider and set rules can include:
- Where is your teen allowed to drive?
- What hours is your teen allowed on the road?
- Should your teen not drive in certain weather conditions?
- Does your teen need a parent’s permission to drive alone?
- Is your teen allowed to drive with other people in the car?
- How many passengers can they drive with?
3. Expectations
You and your co-parent should discuss and agree upon whether your teen needs to meet certain expectations to maintain their driving privileges. Does your teen need to get a job, earn certain grades, or complete assigned chores to get behind the wheel, and do they lose their car privileges if they don’t? Consistency is key, so you and your co-parent should set and stick to the same standards whenever possible.
Make co-parenting a teen easier with TalkingParents
Driving is a scary and exciting rite of passage for many teens, but it’s just one part of the many important milestones co-parents need to plan for and consider. Co-parenting a teen involves lots of major and everyday challenges, and using a communication service like TalkingParents can make it easier to manage. Our features can help you and your co-parent stay on the same page with communication, payments, schedules, and more. Click here to learn how you can create an account and get started.