By Jenny Tran
If there is one thing my parents know how to do well: it’s to relentlessly bug me to do something until I get off my butt and do it. And getting my driver’s license was no exception.
From the moment I turned 15-and-a-half, otherwise known as the age requirement to get a permit in California, this topic never went a day unnoticed. Through their incessant reminders, they made sure that I knew that I could be working on getting my license.
Their demands weren’t exactly unreasonable. My mom was sick of driving upwards of forty minutes to my cross country meets. My dad would like a day to himself that didn’t involve driving me around to buy last-minute supplies for my school projects.
I knew that once I got my license, I wouldn’t have to work around the schedules of my parents. With just that one card, I would be given an unprecedented amount of freedom I didn’t have before.
But, I kept putting it off. And, unfortunately, a large population of teenagers do the same.
There has been an astounding decrease in licensed teenagers over the years. As of 2021, only 56% of 18-year-olds in the US had their license, and 16-year olds had an even lower percentage of 25%.
What’s stopping teenagers of age from getting their license? While there are a variety of reasons, the main one is how tedious the process is for minors. I’ve been through it now, and it’s a slog.
Not only do you need 30 hours of driver’s education, but then you have to take your permit test. And after you get your permit, you need to have at least 50 hours of driving experience, including at least six with a professional driving instructor, and wait six months. And, assuming you don’t fail your driver’s test, then you can finally receive your actual license.
With the excessive amount of time you need to dedicate to this process, it’s no wonder why many people, including myself, procrastinate on trying to get their license. It took me ages to get around to finishing my driver’s education course.
However, this was a fatal mistake on my part. If I hadn’t put off my permit for months, I would have been able to drive much earlier. And not only that, but the half-year of waiting before I could take my test was aggravating.
Driving is, at least to many people, an essential skill nowadays. Not only does it help you get from place to place in a convenient manner, but it opens up a vast door of limitless opportunities that you just wouldn’t find in your mom’s SUV.
And despite how laborious the steps to getting a license may seem, it’s toilsome for a reason. People who wait to receive their license when they’re older are actually more prone to receiving traffic citations and being involved in fatal accidents. This is mainly because the education requirements are less demanding for adults. However, the sheer amount of experience needed for minors actually helps ensure a lower risk of accidents on the road, which explains the safer statistics for those who receive their license earlier.
For instance, those who have never taken a driving class, which is required for those under 18, are 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal wreck. If I didn’t have an instructor that endlessly pounded in me the importance of checking my mirrors, it wouldn’t have been ingrained in my muscle memory as quickly.
Speaking of which, driving teaches you more than just getting from one place to another. It teaches you to be more alert of your surroundings and respectful of those around you. You’re forced to be aware of nearly everything—the speed of your car, the road signs, the cars near you—to ensure everyone’s safety. Maybe it wasn’t ideal that I nearly hit a car in my first test because I wasn’t looking carefully enough, but now I am even more diligent about checking my mirrors to not make that mistake again.
Some of the best things in life take the longest to acquire. And procrastinating on such things just makes the situation worse. So please, work on getting your license as soon as you can. You won’t have to ask your parents to drive you places again.
