Seven Months of Solitary Confinement

“Congratulations, you are part of our ‘Under Ten’ club.”

With those words, my driving instructor and tester informed me that I had officially missed fewer than 10 points out of a possible 29 on my driver’s test. Months of practicing with my restricted license and all the hard work in my driver’s course led to this moment. It was an exhilarating feeling, and it made me feel way more confident in myself and my driving skills. However, my exhilaration was dampened when my instructor told me about a girl around my age in my county who had been killed in a car accident two days before while making a simple three-point turn. It gave me a sobering feeling. I had gotten my license, but I was still an inexperienced driver. I realized that what I had learned here would have a direct impact on the road. Now, I was facing my next big step: getting used to the open road and the distractions that came with it.

My parents instituted a rule of six months of no music or friends in the car after I got my license. Their reason? They felt that my inexperience was my biggest obstacle, and they wanted a time of no distractions while I learned to navigate the road alone. Even my dad, an especially aggressive driver, was adamant that I build a foundation without any interference. Having experienced his driving when he helped me practice for my learner’s permit, I was eager to differentiate my driving style from his. At first, it was easy to maintain the rule, especially since they had dangled the promise of a new car stereo like a carrot on a stick if I completed the six months. Then I made a mistake. While I was still not allowed to have anybody else in the car, I drove some of my friends to get some food. My parents found out, and an extra month was added to my six-month waiting period. I had gotten so caught up with my friends that I failed to remember the rules. It was a tough lesson, but it reminded me of the need to establish better driving habits.

After six months (turned seven months), the wait was finally over. Freedom! I could drive with friends in my car! I could listen to music! I enjoyed my newfound freedoms, but slowly, several careless driving habits began to creep in. Although I had purchased a phone stand for my cup holder to keep me hands-free, I often reached for my phone, sometimes to change the song or look at the GPS. Gradually, I realized that an accident would likely happen if I kept this up. It was time to do something about it. I gave it some thought and came to the decision that I needed to have everything completely in place before starting to drive anywhere. I opted to create playlists so that I would not have to change the music or podcast while driving. Once I pressed “play”, that was my music for the drive. No changing it. As for the GPS, I set up a feature where the GPS would interrupt my music with the directions. That eliminated having to look at the phone frequently. Even though I was a fairly new driver, unlearning bad habits and replacing them with new ones was not easy, but I pressed on until it became a habit.

As of 2024, thirty-seven states in the U.S. require teens to take a driver’s ed class. When I think about it, I realize how much of an impact driving classes had on me in establishing safe driving habits. Resources like these gave me driving awareness, and they can help others my age avoid accidents and potential death by learning about the various driving tactics that can help you stay safe on the road. The tools were given to me, but it was up to me to take the next step. Every good habit starts with a decision to unlearn a bad one, and that decision needs to be made every day. The temptation to revert to my old ways will always be there. Even though I still struggle with wanting to change the song or look at my GPS while I drive, I have had plenty of practice learning to balance having friends and music with my safety, my passenger’s safety, and other drivers’ safety. Those months of waiting and the solitary and silent driving helped me focus on what was most important: learning to drive safely and attentively.