Driving Toward Responsibility: Why Teen Driver Safety Starts with Better Education

Passing my permit test, and then subsequently my behind-the-wheel driving test, was and still is one of my greatest accomplishments. What had once seemed like something only reserved for adults, which to me meant people my parents age, was now accessible to me with almost no strings attached. It gave me a sense of freedom and independence, surpassed only by my eighteenth birthday, which I still feel today every time I drive. However, it didn’t always feel like I would accomplish it. I remember being overjoyed six months before my sixteenth birthday, and how I almost instantly purchased a pre-permit test course to study. I had planned to study the material over winter break and then take my test in the following weeks, however I procrastinated, and between school and sports I wasn’t able to find time to study to the point where I felt prepared enough. Instead, I waited the six months until around my sixteenth birthday, using additional study tools such as the DMV handbook and practice tests. By then, I had also been able to find a time to actually take my permit test that didn’t overlap with sports. On the day I was scheduled to take the test, I showed up energetic, excited and ready to pass…and then the line was so long that by the time I was ready, the deadline to begin tests for the day had passed. Fortunately, I was able to return the next day and take the test, and passed the first try! After months of feverish studying and nervous waiting, I had finally cleared the first obstacle. All of this, however, may have been a blessing in disguise.

I think one of the biggest mistakes teens make is trying to get their license as fast as possible, which leads to them not actually learning the rules and regulations of the road. By delaying my test and giving myself more time to learn and practice, I feel that I retained the information presented to me better than some of my peers. Of course, I think the majority of teens handle this issue pretty well, but for the ones that don’t, it can set an unstable platform for their fundamentals, which can become a large problem later in their driving career. Growing up in Glendale, California, which has been ranked as one of the worst cities in the country to drive in, I think I know a thing or two about bad drivers. Who knows what the true cause of it is, the important thing is it needs to change, and I believe that starts with giving teen drivers the proper training and skills they need to drive safely. I think one of the biggest problems, not just for Glendale but the whole world, is parents and guardians passing along either out of date or just plain wrong information about driving, and while we can’t control what people teach their kids, we can correct them, and with enough time, that narrative will change.1

One possibility for a solution to this could be reintroducing drivers ed classes at schools. While some schools have never had them or still do, it seems that the majority of schools have phased them out. This has almost certainly, among other reasons, contributed to a decline in the number of teens seeking to get their licenses during high school, as well as putting more and more less-prepared teen drivers on the road. I’ve certainly seen it at my high school, and recently spoke to a friend who is planning to commute to university in fall who just acquired her license this summer after graduating high school. Furthermore teens who may not be as prepared to drive as others can still get their license by taking their driving tests at “easier” DMVs, or ones with less-strict rules and instructors. I know that word spreads through parents and kids about which DMV has the highest pass rate, which ones have the easier routes, and so on and so forth. Perhaps a revision of the permit and license tests would be in order, or at least a stricter one for teens and young adults. Additionally, communities could host more events dedicated to teen drivers to make it easier to access training and resources for driving. For students from poorer economic backgrounds, free events such as these could allow them to learn how to drive without having to pay for an instructor, making driving more accessible to communities. This would also be a benefit of having drivers ed classes in schools. Teen drivers will never be perfect, but I think they can get a lot better, although I also think it will take a while.