Upon turning sixteen in the state of New York, teenagers wait in lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles to take their permit test, hoping to acquire an object that puts them one step closer to being an adult: their permit. Learning to drive is a rite of passage for most teenagers. In some movies and television shows, the teenage characters struggle with normal things such as acne, boy drama, rumors, and, of course, passing their road test. While in certain parts of America driving is a significant part of day-to-day life, in New York City that is not the case, since people don’t need their license to travel around the city.
In Manhattan, a significant amount of teenagers opt out of taking driver’s ed and getting their license due to the lack of urgency to drive. With cabs and online car services companies, such as Uber, Juno, and Lyft, teenagers are downloading apps for car-service instead of buying their first car. However, not every teenager will continue to live in the city as an adult, so how will the absence of their license affect them in the future?
In college and life after college, especially in suburban areas, people need to commute in a short amount of time. For some, having a license and being able to drive makes it so much easier to get around. On the other hand, the ones who can’t drive or don’t have the necessary legal papers, have to resort to either taking public transportation, paying for a cab, or hitching a ride with a friend. While taking a seat in your friend’s car may sound enjoyable, learning to drive gives you more freedom; you have the ability to go where you want when you want.
Every year a representative from Dalton comes to Hewitt and hands out sign-up papers for Dalton’s driving school. It is here that teenagers 16-18 can learn not only to drive but can also learn about safe and smart driving by attending lectures The program is broken up into fall and spring, both sessions lasting up to five months. Students have the ability to chose one day a week, either Monday, Thursdays or Saturdays, each day offering different time slots. One hour of the day is dedicated to a lecture (held at Dalton), and the second part is for driving with your instructor and three other students. The tuition for each program, fall or spring, is $650.00, including optional textbooks. At the end of the course, you will take a final exam, where you will be tested on what you have learned throughout the course of the program.
During the lectures, your teacher will present videos about safe driving and what happens if you break the law. He will also discuss different road signs, signals, turns, how to park, how to drive on highways, and so on. Throughout the five months, you will be given two low stakes quizzes to check in on your understanding of the material. After an hour of lecture, you will be put into a car with an experienced driving instructor, and three other driver’s ed students. On the passenger side, your instructor has their own brake pedal so that they can help control your driving in case of an emergency.
Getting your license is giving yourself the freedom to roam and explore new places, why wait until later when you can start now? Learning to drive while still in high school will expand your horizons in college, as you can drive for yourself, and will not need a friend to get you where you need to go. Learning to drive does not have to be a rite of passage for only those who need a car to get around, but for everyone.