Teaching A Child To Drive, Is It Legal?
Many parents think that teaching their children to drive is a great idea. They can do it at their own pace, help them practice on their own, and thus save good money as they won’t need as many hands-on classes.
This usually happens before the children enroll in a driving school or when they are preparing the exam to obtain the license. This is known as accompanied driving: the driver does not have a driving license and does so under the responsibility and supervision of an experienced driver.
But is it legal to teach a child to drive? The answer is no. Whoever does so is committing a criminal offense against road safety: it is a crime and it has consequences. Next, we will see some elements to know what the law says about this situation and what the penalties are.
What does the law say about teaching a child to drive?
When a father is teaching his son to drive, even in areas with no traffic or pedestrians, he is committing a crime. It is a crime against road safety, included in article 384 of the Penal Code.
It does not matter if it is an agent of the Police or the Civil Guard who surprises the father and son in that situation. You can launch the accusation against them and that will lead to the corresponding sanctions. If there has been no incident and no damage has occurred, the offense for which they will be charged is driving a car without the corresponding driving license.
Who is sanctioned?
When a father is teaching to lead his son and a member of the police or the Civil Guard stops, the two will be involved in the delito.En this regard, and l child will be in a fault to the driver improperly without permission of circulation.
Likewise, the parent will also be held at fault for being the person providing the vehicle. With their presence, the parent encourages the child to drive without being legally able to do so. If the one who is teaching driving is not the parent but someone else, the situation is the same.
Penalties for driving without a license in Spain
In these types of situations, the penalty is usually considerable. The Penal Code punishes those who drive without due permission according to the magnitude of the offense. The sanction can range from a prison sentence of three to six months, a daily fine for a period of 12 to 24 months, to work for the benefit of the community of 30 to 90 days.
In this sense, violators are almost always punished with a combination of the last two sanctions that we have seen. If the driver is a minor, the financial penalty is applied to his legal guardian.
The jail sentence is reserved for serious cases in which a serious accident occurs. It can also be applied when the driver and his companion, in this case father and son, have aggressive behavior towards the agents who have stopped them.
Why We Shouldn’t Teach A Child To Drive
In addition to being a crime that can bring significant penalties, you have to consider that teaching a child to drive may not be such a good idea. Indeed , to teach someone else to drive you need to have the corresponding certification, and being a driving school teacher is not easy.
The vehicle for teaching must also be adequate. It must be equipped with a double pedal, so that the teacher can control it or correct any possible dangerous action by the learner. In addition, the practice car must be easily identifiable by other drivers.
Without all these precautions, driving practice can be dangerous and end in an accident, even if it is done in private areas or places with little traffic. It is risking unnecessary risks. In addition, in the event of an accident, the insurance will not take care of the damages.
Finally, when teaching a child to drive, certain vices can be transmitted to them that are later difficult to eliminate. For example, you can get used to putting your hand on the gear lever or putting your hands on the steering wheel in a bad way. These bad habits not only threaten the safety of the driver, but can also be a reason for not passing the exam.
