Students begin to get their driver’s license as they approach their junior and senior year. Though the steps of getting a driver’s license may be tedious or difficult, obtaining one has its benefits. Driving can be dangerous, however, obtaining a driver’s license can help students travel around conveniently, whether it’s for school or other occasions, thus most students believe getting one is worth it.
The process of getting a driver’s license is lengthy for students who are under 18. When one is under 18, they have to follow the steps that include finishing a driver’s educational course, taking a written test for a driver’s permit, and then finally, having to wait six months, which during this time, is required to practice a total of 50 hours to be able to take the behind-the-wheel.
Senior Jaslynn Nguyen shared her own experience on the process of getting a driver’s license. She explained where she found the most difficulties in the driving process.
“I think getting my permit was easy since there are many apps to help with that, but learning how to drive itself was difficult because even though I knew the rules, I didn’t know how to like, do a right turn. Like I can do a right turn but maybe my turn was too wide or like, too short, so I might hit a curb or something,” Nguyen said.
High school students are able to take the behind-the-wheel driving test to receive their driver’s license after they turn 16. This is usually near the end of sophomore year; it may be difficult to finish the process during the school season since a lot of students have to manage their academics, thus many start driving their junior year.
Junior Raysteven Guadron, who is currently working on getting his driver’s permit, explained his perspective on students who try to speed through the process of getting a driver’s license.
“I think it’s stupid because I mean throughout the school, we’ve had a few days learning about drunk driving and all the stuff that could lead to cause crashes, so, just wanting to speed through this just to get your driver’s license to drive is not good at all. You should spend some time to study a little bit just like how they do in school to actually be safe in the road,” Guadron said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an official government page that provides information about road safety, a statistic shows that teen drivers are 2 ½ times more likely to engage in dangerous driving habits such as not buckling on a seatbelt or driving over the speed limit.
Due to many wanting to get their license quickly, some may make mistakes and overlook the danger of driving.
Senior Joshua Odulio stated that a precaution that’s overlooked may be road awareness and advised beginner drivers to carefully look for their surroundings and not assume that the only thing that’s important on the road is what’s in front of them.
“I think one of the things that a lot of people neglect when initially getting their licenses is they don’t really know what to look out for… I think a lot of people when they’re first beginning to drive, don’t scan, like ahead. They kind of just like, focus on what is in front of them, but they’re not getting the surroundings. That’s something that I definitely ignored,” Odulio said.
Even with the common stereotypes that teens may not be safe drivers, there are many benefits when it is done correctly. Students who have to stay after school and have parents that are unavailable during after school hours will struggle to commute back home without a driver’s license.
“Especially if you’re in extracurricular activities, I feel like it’s difficult getting into one location to another and if you’re waiting for your parents, it just takes up more time than needed,” Nguyen said.
Since staying after school for extracurriculars is common for many students, being able to drive will eliminate the inconvenience of having to wait for a ride. This can save a lot of time, especially for students and guardians who have busy schedules.
When getting a driver’s license in high school, it can remove the extra responsibility of getting it as an adult due to many being busier with occupations, college, or whatever path one takes after high school. The busy schedules makes it inconvenient for one to learn, compared to the time one has when they’re in high school.
“I would strongly advise it, like if you get it like when you’re in high school, then the process already is over, and it’s not something you have to deal with when you’re much older,” Odulio said.
With students needing to commute daily for school, extracurriculars after school, and managing busy schedules, a driver’s license when used responsibly, can be useful and impactful in a student’s daily routine. There are many students on campus who have their driver’s license and even a driver’s education course provided by the school. With resources being provided in our school, this allows the process of learning how to drive easier, and recommended.
