The moment has finally arrived. Your child is now 16 years old and he or she is ready to get behind the wheel. What are you going to do? In addition to the stress that this is sure to add to your life, don’t forget about the cost of car insurance for a new driver.

Soon enough, you have a big decision to make: are you going to teach your child how to drive or will you hire a professional instructor? While the thought of handing this task over to somebody else may be intriguing, there are benefits associated with doing it yourself.

1. Your Teen May Learn Better From Somebody They Know

Is this always the case? Of course not. However, some teenagers simply don’t take well to other adults. During your time together, you can help your teen learn the rules of the road while also sharing your experiences. You may be surprised at how your driving history can teach your child valuable lessons.

2. Costs Less

You are going to have enough expenses coming your way, especially since it can be expensive to insure a teenager. You might as well save money when you can. Sending your teen to a professional driving school can cost in excess of $500. Do you have this type of money to be throwing around? Would you be better suited putting it towards the cost of insurance or other expenses?

3. It Will Put Your Mind at Ease

Even if you hire a professional instructor, there is no way of knowing for sure that your child is taking in all the information and improving his or her driving skills. On top of this, since you have not been in the car you don’t really know for sure what is going on.

When you teach your child to drive, you can see the improvement with your own two eyes. This can go a long way in helping you de-stress and realize that your teen is capable of driving safely.

4. Lessons on Your Schedule

Want to take your child out in the morning? How about in the evening? When you are teaching your child how to drive, you don’t have to concern yourself with the busy schedule of an instructor. Instead, you can call all the shots about when you take to the road and how long each lesson lasts.

In many cases, this allows your child to put in more hours behind the wheel before attempting to obtain their license.

5. Spend Time Together

This has nothing to do with driver safety or learning the necessary driving skills but it is extremely important to most parents. By the time your child hits age 16, they are getting old enough to hang out with friends on their own. As you can remember, this means that your parents are not “cool” anymore. It can be a lot of fun to spend time with your child once again (even if you get into an argument here and there).

Now do you see why many parents decide to teach their teenager how to drive, as opposed to relying on a professional instructor?