Drivers Education for Teens
Tips from local Drivers Ed Schools:
1. Plan on scheduling three to four months in advance. This is especially true if you want the all-inclusive ODOT course.
2. ODOT or not?
- Main Advantage: Includes a final certificate of completion that allows the DMV to waive the driving test and requires only 50 practice hours of drive time (otherwise it is 100 hours).
- Main Disadvantage: The program is significantly less flexible scheduling-wise, requiring 10 weeks of classroom instruction and may be hard to find because of backlog. (In fact, last I checked (2024) one local company was backlogged nearly a year.)
3. Call your insurance company to ensure the drivers ed program certificate is accepted for a discount. Some companies are pickier. And some companies don’t offer the discount.
4. Don’t rush it. You may have glorious memories of getting your license the day you turned 16, but—really—age matters less than driving competence. Take the time to help your teen become a good driver first.
Contact info for our local drivers education schools:
These companies all service the Portland Metro area.
Tom’s Driving Academy at 503-648-7068 based in Hillsboro
Westside Driving School at 503-878-0100 based in Lake Oswego and Beaverton
Pacific Drivers Ed at 503-347-2713 based in Beaverton and Gresham 503-766-3567
ODEC at 503-297-4813 based in Portland and Salem
1st Learn to Drive at 503-509-0870 based in Portland
PCC at 971-722-6266 at several locations
Is a $400-$700 driver education course worth it for my teen?
Yes, it is worth every penny because you will
1. Save yourself 6 hours (and 6 hours of stress!). Most Oregon courses involve your teen in-car with an instructor at least 6 hours. That’s beyond the classroom instruction. Moreover, the instructor usually picks your teen up. And did we mention– six hours that you don’t have to!
2. Set them up for good driving habits. Because those 6 in-car hours happen towards the beginning of their driving experience, they really do help put in place good habits before they learn bad ones. And this makes the whole experience less stressful for the whole family.
3. Get your teen a more comprehensive education than you can give. Training drivers is what these schools do. They want your teen to succeed, to be safe, and to take the responsibility seriously. If you grew up driving in another state, it’s nice to know that they know the most updated rules and codes of driving here in Oregon.
4. Recoup the cost of drivers ed in insurance savings over time. Ask your agent to know more specifics but the discount will probably offset the cost. However, even if there is no discount, we’d recommend signing your teen up because it will help prevent your insurance costs from going really crazy. How so? Read on.
5. Prevent future accidents. Investing some resources now will help your teens avoid hurting themselves, injuring others, and damaging vehicles. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
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