I just turned 31 and I often sit back and wish I had done some things differently. One of those was wishing I had taken driving lessons when I was 16. The other was wishing I didn’t “pimp” my 1990 Honda Accord out.

I paid $2500 for rims which I ended up selling a couple of years later for only $250. However I try not to regret any decisions I have made in the past. After all the past is done and we can’t change it.

But I do want to shed some light on my personal experience and why I think every youngster should take driving lessons when they are of age.

I had wanted to get my license so bad when I finally was of age. When I was younger I would always sit in my parents Ford Explorer that they bought from Gold Star Auto Sales and pretend I was driving.

The freedom of being able to go where ever whenever was exciting. I loved to golf and never liked asking my mom to drive and pick me up from the golf course. However I love her to death for doing it. She’s the best mother one could ask for.

When I was close to being able to get my license some big news hit that would affect me. The province of British Columbia in Canada decided that newer drivers would have to have their learners permit for 1 year instead of the standard one month. They felt too many of the accidents were being recorded by young drivers who had no road experience.

I was pissed but as I look back, it makes sense. 16 year olds are far too young to be on the road after only one month.

The province did institute a rule however. If you were to attend a Victoria BC driving school, you could reduce your 1 year leaners permit down to 6 months. Most of friend’s parents opted for this so they were driving much sooner than I was. And of course I was super jealous!

Looking back at it, I wish I had taken driving lessons for a few reasons besides getting my license early.

1 – I could have gotten my license much early which would have given me more opportunities to drive anywhere I wanted.

2 – Getting trained from a professional could have helped me pass my driver’s test the first time. Since I didn’t take lessons I failed my driving test the first time.

3 – Driving lessons would have helped me avoid a couple of accidents I was involved in. I was involved in too accidents right after I did pass my driver’s test. They cost me a lot of money!

I see young kids all the time at my golf course. They’re all pumped up to get their license. I always tell them to take driving lessons to save money. Not only will they save money but they’ll be safer and their parents won’t worry as much.