Turning Anxiety into Empowerment

As a high school junior, I am expected to start learning how to drive. Despite the advice from various quarters, including teachers, family, and friends, the urgency doesn’t resonate with me immediately. Instead, it felt like unneeded advice because my mom and my sister can’t drive, my cousins got their driving licenses after graduating college, my friend can’t drive, and my teacher’s daughter who is a freshman at college can’t drive. The ones that do drive have told me are much older, and they never had any serious driving accidents but the idea of driving is daunting, particularly as an ADHD teen navigating a chaotic Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is a chaotic foreign place even if most of my life is being spent here, the freeways are scary when driving through downtown, and the drivers seem to be focused on everything but the road. As I look through the window, I see people talking to others with direct eye contact, people applying cosmetics, others quickly snacking down, and the most evident of them all: eyes on their phones with one hand on the wheel. The cacophony of traffic, punctuated by sirens, added to my worry as I lay in my passenger seat. Cushioned safely by my seat belt and airbag, my worries don’t cease.

Recognizing that most accidents result from recklessness, taking the driving education course, getting the permit, and practicing for the hands-on test will help me avoid such accidents. The requirements from the DMV are meant to gauge my full understanding of what is expected of me as a driver. They also inform repeatedly about the safety, and warnings to see. When I read the handbook for the first time, I felt a weight leave my shoulder. Initially daunted by the prospect, I found the handbook surprisingly accessible. The pictures, the easy words, and the straightforward dictation were not hard or troublesome. Rather they were comforting in some sort because now it transformed the distant goal of obtaining a license into a reachable achievement just like how it has been to millions of people in the world.

My worries still persisted as I thought about what it would be like to face the scenarios laid out in the handbook in real life. Practicing for my driver’s license would not be an easy wave to surf. I looked for the teenage requirements for the driver’s license and the weight that was gone crept up again. Teenage requirements and the potential disadvantage compared to more experienced adult drivers raise doubts. However, just like in any media, when critical times call, action is needed. Recognizing the critical role driving plays in my academic success, I found that not being able to drive a car was a huge disadvantage to my academic achievement. The school bus would take an hour to reach my stop, and then I would spend another 30 minutes getting home using the local bus. I got home after 5 P.M. and while that may seem unconcerned, it was more concerning when fall came and the sun set earlier. My home was draining, and environmentally toxic, whether I wanted it or not. Living in a one-bedroom with four other people who all live a modern consumer experience left me without any space to study. However, I found my productivity levels and quality of work rose when I went to the library. On the contrary, I was unable to study for a long period of time because my family expected me to be home not too long after the sunset since my safety could be threatened. I was stressed, and frustrated. A driver’s license can empower me to take control of my academic destiny. Learning to drive was an additional asset in case a family emergency happened when the only member in our family who could drive was away. But how could I do this all by myself?

Luckily, I didn’t have to. I had a plethora of resources digitally and in-person to aid my driving assistance. I could be a better and safer driver by harnessing these resources to the fullest. Such examples were watching YouTube videos, and seeing the resources DMV gave along with additional links. There were infinite links to click on in Google and those could redirect to you even more additional information. Not to mention, traditionally there are many books even for teens like me to overcome the anxiety of driving. I could invest my time in going to a driving school and Enrolling in a driving school and earnestly practicing. Taking charge of my education means the benefits apply to me but when it comes to driving, a greater good is done as I can protect myself and people on the road.

I didn’t let my worries overcome me. I instead looked at the facts that don’t need to be quantified. There is a handful of people who attained their driver’s license along with another handful that have fortunately never experienced any traumatic accident related to driving. I know I can be in either handful if I approach driving as a reachable goal. While the increasing mortality rates linger in the background, my immediate concern when gripping the wheel is the present moment. Whether on the 101 freeway, the bustling traffic in Los Angeles, the serene suburban roads, or even leaving the garage, what I see ahead is what matters. For the safety of me and others, I don’t want to be wrecked with worries and guilt as I drive. Simultaneously, I don’t want to be careless and zoned out, thinking about my problems as I drive. I want to see the road, the indubitable traffic lights, cars of all sorts, and everything that can’t be warped into something else. There is comfort in driving stems from the universally implemented and extensively reviewed driving system, contributing to a safer road environment.