CDTraveler

Does anyone know if any major rental car agencies in the US allow teens to drive if their parent is the renter?

We are considering a long car trip this summer, basically Chicago to Yellowstone and back, and I sure would like some help with driving (done all the driving on even longer trips and it gets old fast). My kid will have his permit but not actual license of Pennsylvania's draconian rules on teen drivers, and I'm wondering if there is any legal way he could share the driving.

Thoughts? Your experiences?

MoreMilesPlease

Seriously doubt it. Especially on a learners permit.

I think every rental agency has a clause that it needs to be a fully licensed driver over 18 (and under 21 you usually pay a premium).

GUWonder

Someone under 18 years of age and only on a learner's permit? I have never found a major car rental agency that allows that. And I would be surprised if ther is one. Have you thought of borrowing a private individual's vehicle? Have you checked to see if your son's permit is valid for use in all the states of relevance to your journey?

CDTraveler

First time I rented a car I was 18 and paid with a check because I didn't have a credit card. Times have changed.

Done a lot more research. There are companies that will allow a teen driver on a parent's rental, but none so far will allow a driver with a permit. The problem we're having is the idiotic mandatory 6 month wait for a license after the teen gets the permit. Doesn't matter if the teen has passed a Driver's Education course and the written test, they're not allowed to even take the road test for 6 months.

I haven't found any state that doesn't allow a driver with a permit from another state to drive. There might be one, but I haven't come across it. Where we will there are 5 other states within an hour's drive so crossing borders as a daily thing is pretty common.

MSPeconomist

Aren't there states that would not allow the kid to drive because of age rules? For example, in PA you get a learner's permit at 16 but NY requires age 18 to drive. In the other direction, MN gives learner's permits at 15 1/2.

erik123

NY allows under 18s with a learner's permit to drive (with restrictions) - But not those with a learner's permit from another state.

themicah

The basic age in NY is 16. If you're under 16 you can't drive at all in NY even if you have a permit or license from another state. If you are 16+ and have an out-of-state permit you CAN drive in NY as long as you meet all the requirements of both the other state AND NY. And the NY requirements prohibit drivers with a permit (regardless of a age) from driving in certain places, and prohibit drivers of certain ages (regardless of permit/license status) from driving in certain other places. It's very complicated.

CDTraveler

In parts of the west - think wide open plains or agricultural areas - you can get a permit at 14 1/2.

The trip we're considering is Chicago - the Dakotas - Yellowstone/Grand Tetons and back to Chicago, so there would be a whole lot of driving that I'd like to share, and most of it in states that allow younger drivers. Manhattan is not on the route.

There are definitely agencies that allow an under 18 year old on the rental contract as a second driver when the parent is primary.

MSPeconomist

However, if you have a young and inexperienced driver and an unfamiliar rental car on unfamiliar roads, how much can the parent relax even when not driving? In fact, if the kid just has a learner's permit, isn't the licensed driver (YOU) required to be responsible, alert, and paying attention at all times? IANAL, but I don't think state law in most places would allow someone with a learner's permit to drive the vehicle while the licensed driver (and parent if required due to time of day, number of people in the car, etc.) sleeps in the car. In fact, do you really want to become an expert in state law about learner's permits and young drivers in all of the places you're going?

VickiSoCal

Isn't that normal? It's the law here as well. 6 hours with instructor and 50 hours with parent, plus min of 6 months with permit. It is about gaining the depth of experience needed before you send them out alone.

CDTraveler

Who said anything about sleeping? I think you have radically misinterpreted what I said.

Taking a break from being at the wheel is not the same as sleeping. Don't know if you've ever done long range drives, as in ~500 miles/day for numerous days in a row, but getting a break from being at the wheel while continuing to make progress makes a big difference in how the trip goes.

erik123

Rule of thumb is 15 minute rest every two hours. supervising your teen driver is not rest. I've done lots of 10+ hour drives.

CDTraveler

Exactly whose rules are these, because they're nonsense. Drive 105 minutes, rest 15? There are large swathes of America where if you tried that, you'd be stopping in the traffic lane of the road for your rest, and some of us define "rest" as not being physically controlling the car, not sleeping.

Also, not all of us are paranoid about having a teen in control of the car. Somehow millions of teens manage to learn to drive and get their licenses without having an accident.

erik123

Based on studies (concentration and reaction time goes down quickly after that) and the typical advice given by automobile associations in many countries.

VickiSoCal

1 in 5 of 16-year-old drivers has an accident within their first year of driving. Mine has just made it through her first year and is part of the other 80 percent but it is more dangerous until they get some experience under them