Many states do not require that new drivers take a driver education course, leading many parents to wonder whether these classes are necessary for their children. While teaching your child to drive is a time-honored American tradition, many vital skills require a proper educational setting. Here are just four ways that driving school can help make your teen a better driver.

Cold Weather Driving

Driving in the snow is one of the most stressful and dangerous experiences that your teen is likely to face. Although many parents restrict their teens from driving in particularly nasty conditions, every driver will need to learn these skills eventually. A driver's education course can help your teen learn how to drive in inclement weather in a safe environment.

The Rules of the Road

Let's face it, even most good drivers aren't intimately familiar with the rules and regulations governing the roads around them. Many drivers pick up bad habits after years of driving on their own, and it's easy to pass these bad habits onto your children. Even if you are confident in your abilities, you may be inadvertently encouraging your teen to drive in a way that is unsafe or even illegal. Driving school instructors are familiar with local driving laws and how to explain them in a way that is both easy to understand and to remember. A professional driving course will combine both practical and classroom teaching to ensure that your teen learns to obey the rules of the road.

Driving Test Skills

If you're a parent, then your driving test is likely little more than a distant memory for you at this point. Simply teaching your teen to drive may not be enough to cover the skills they'll need to pass their driving exam. A professional instructor will focus not only on making your teen a safe driver but also on preparing them for their exam. More importantly, driving school instructors have the experience to identify and correct student weaknesses. If your teen is having difficulty in one area, their instructor can design exercises to reinforce those skills. This focus allows your instructor to provide your child with the best possible shot at passing their exam on the first try.

Defensive Driving

Finally, never ignore the importance of defensive driving training. By learning to anticipate the moves of other drivers and react appropriately, your teen will minimize their chance of being involved in a severe accident. Just because these skills may feel like second nature to you does not mean that you will be able to teach them to your child properly.

Whether or not your state mandates driver training, signing your teen up for driving school can be a great option to teach them the skills they need to stay safe on the road.