Teaching Kids To Drive: Then And Now

I've still got a few years before I have to put my daughter behind the wheel, but when I think back to my own early driving experiences, they start when I was about 10.

My grandfather (Pappaw) took me out on a back road in his 1975 Dodge Dart and put me in the driver's seat.  To him, it was a necessity that kids learn to drive a car as soon as they can reach the pedals.  I mean, you never know when there might be an emergency on a road out in the sticks that might require some driving skills.

Those driving lessons are fond memories I will have for the rest of my life and they don't seem out of the ordinary, but times have changed.  If we would have been stopped by the police on that road back in the mid 80's, more than likely my Pappaw would have received a quick lecture from the officer about needing to find a private road for such things and we would have been on our way; with him driving, of course.  Today, however, I would expect to be hauled off to jail and charged with child endangerment, corruption of a minor, etc.  It would be a very big deal - perhaps big enough to make the news.

Take a moment to leave a comment and tell us how old you were when you had your first experience behind the wheel.  I bet those over 40 have much different memories than the younger folks of today.