Teaching your teen how to drive can be a nerve-racking experience. However, if the driving test is fast approaching, then your kid isn’t a little kid anymore. It’s time to make sure they’re safe on the road. One of the best ways to do that is to teach them how to drive an automatic transmission.

For classic car lovers, it may seem like blasphemy to choose an automatic over a standard, but for better or for worse, automatic cars are the standard nowadays. In 2017, even if you’re purchasing older used trucks or used cars from the local Ford dealership, they will most likely come with automatic transmissions. If you’re gearing up to teach your son or daughter how to drive, here’s why you should be teaching your teen how to drive on an automatic vehicle:

1. Distracted driving is already a national epidemicThe sad truth is that in the instant gratification smartphone era, distracted driving accidents are rising year after year. With all of the distractions and devices your teen will face behind the wheel, you should do everything you can to limit the number of things they need to focus on while driving. That’s why more parents are opting for automatic transmissions.
2. Automatic vehicles are easier to driveLearning to drive in a stick shift vehicle can be a challenge, which can be good for some people. After all, a little challenge adds some character. However, when it comes to learning how to drive, you don’t want to create any more stress than there already is.

   Your teen needs to learn the rules of the road, the meanings behind dozens of road signs, and how to operate a vehicle all at the same time. Just think of your easily-distracted teen having to deal with uphill stoplights and the constant stop-and-starts a stick shift gives you. Odds are, those aren’t pleasant thoughts.

3. Automatic vehicles come with more technological innovationSure, stick shift vehicles are older and come with a wave of nostalgia. However, they also come with less innovative technology. That may seem good at first because there’s less to distract the driver with. But innovative technology includes the technology that helps your teen parallel park, helps them avoid hitting foreign objects in the road, and helps them keep from hitting other drivers when they start to merge.
4. Automatic vehicles give you more optionsOdds are when your teen heads off to college, they’ll also be purchasing their first car. Knowing how to drive an automatic vehicle means they’ll have more options available to them at any Ford dealership around. Sure, the Ford trucks from decades ago were beautiful, and they’re still very functional. And by 2021, over 20 million vehicles on the road will be over 25 years old. But giving your teen the freedom to choose their own vehicle at a Ford dealership is a better bet in the long run.

It may be an emotional rollercoaster watching your teen get behind the wheel for the first time, but as a parent, it’s your duty to be sure they know what they’re doing. By teaching your teen how to drive on an automatic vehicle, you’re giving them a leg up on the road and helping them move toward the future.