It was the night before my driver’s test, and with each passing hour I felt the anxiety creep into my veins. Vying for first place with high school graduation and prom night, receiving a driver’s license is one of the biggest milestones in a teenager’s life. A driver’s license means midnight runs to Sheetz, road trips to the beach, and rides to the mall without your mom blowing kisses from the car as you walk sheepishly towards your friends. What more could a teenager want than these perks? Of course, I was hyper-aware of all that was at stake in regards to my driver’s test. Thus, the night before the exam, I intensively studied my driver’s manual and watched YouTube videos that offered helpful driving pointers. I even dragged my mother along for one more practice run on the road. …show more content…
I was determined to drive as flawlessly as possible. I sat uprightly, ensuring that my posture was aligned. My thoughts were racing with all the tips and tricks I had studied over the past couple of weeks as I drove. “Make sure to look in your rearview before you accelerate. Keep your eyes on the road. Constantly scan, don’t just stare at the rear lights of the cars in front of you. Brake softly. The driving instructors don’t like it when you brake too hard. Don’t hit the curb. That’s a sure way to fail the test. Keep your eyes on the road. Look out for any signs--”
My anxious thoughts were rudely interrupted by a car horn and my mother’s frantic
Maturity and rationalization is not yet achieved or experienced by teenagers. In the era of technology there are several distractions for drivers of any age to maneuver. Parents can play an educational role by enrolling their teen into a driver’s educational program. Some states require students to complete a comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) program prior to receiving their license. The brain function is still developing in teenagers and may impede the quick thinking process necessary to become a responsible driver. For the safety and welfare of teenagers the age requirement in Arizona for a driver’s license should be increased from 16 to 18 years of age.
The course gives teens a better understanding of safer driving habits to maintain. For example, a while ago a young man was killed in an accident due to a bad habit: the driver was drinking and driving. As stated in a journal, “Alcohol involvement among drivers fifteen to twenty years old involved in fatal crashes, in 2003, numbers of surviving was 4227, and fatally injured was 3657”(Best, 663). Therefore, the numbers keep going each year and it is a reoccurring problem that can be stopped immediately. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2001), “Although 25% reduction in alcohol related fatalities from 1990 to 2000 has been observed; approximately 41% of all traffic fatalities (17,448) in 2001 were alcohol-related” (Sarkar, Andreas, and de Fabrio, 306). This is why there needs to be more motivation to have designated drivers. Drinking and driving is a problem that can be solved instantly. It may not only ruin one’s own life, but others’ lives as well. The number of accidents is extremely...
Driving is a freeing and exciting aspect of turning sixteen. The day I got my license, the car ride home was about the longest drive I had ever taken. Then the moment we got home, I hopped into the driver’s seat of my mom’s beaten up ruby red pathfinder and sped away. Of course, I was only allowed to go to the starbucks around the corner. That moment though, I will never forget. And driving is still one of my favorite things to do. It’s so freeing, having the ability to simply hop in your vehicle, turn the key as it hums to a start, and drive away. The feeling of driving down a long road on a cloudy fall day with the windows down and my favorite music blaring is something that can’t be beat. The thing is, though, that
Completing the State Highway Patrol internship was an amazing experience. My very first Day being an intern, my Mentor Trooper Bachelor Took me to the Training academy there I met many different people I was able to talk to a state recruiter.Also I was able to see the cadets and see a little bit of their training.
While I am aware that an innumerable number of students around the country fail their driver’s test at least once, for some maybe a few more times; failing mine had a superb impact on me. I had been utterly confident in my ability, since for me it was no different than any other test I
I committed to a lot of preparation that would assure that I passed the exam on the first try. I studied for three weeks day and night and created flash cards to help me memorize rules. When the day came to take the written exam I isolated in a room with a piece of paper and a pencil, this did not help my level of anxiety that I had prior to arriving at the DMV. But by some miracle, I had passed the test. Receiving my driver’s permit made me one step closer to freedom, but it wasn’t over yet. Now that I had my permit, I had to learn how to actually drive a car. I had a little over four months to perfect my driving skills and learn the interior/exterior of a 2003 Toyota Corolla. Through the course of that time, I put in hundreds of dreadful hours in learning how to drive and locating the interior buttons. I practiced turning left and right correctly, as well as how to accelerate and stop smoothly on public roads. I was told by many that having a car wasn’t only about driving it, it was also about knowing how to keep it clean and knowing how to make sure every aspect of the car was running well. The hard part of learning how to drive was memorizing all the rules, such as the meaning of the lines and signs on the road. Every day spent practicing was a day closer to turning eighteen. On the day of my birthday I made my DMV appointment to take my “Behind-the-Wheel” test. The fear of failing my driving test made me far from excited when the day came. When I arrived at the DMV, I was told to park the car on a drive way next to the building. As I waited for my instructor to get in the car I was sweating bullets but despite the twenty nerve-wrecking minutes the drive lasted, I
...o beginning drivers” (qtd. in Adams). Therefore, the lack of organized, instructional driver training affects the safety of the new driver and all others driving on the streets and highways or walking across the street. With this is mind, the next time a person gets into their car and buckles their seatbelt, they may be arming their self to meet an inexperienced driver who learned to drive by reading a driver manual long enough to pass a test.
The written test that you were required to take was taken at the armory. You needed to pass the written test to get your permit. The test was 100 questions that number made me very nervous because I?m not a very good test taker, and that is a lot of questions. The night before the test I couldn?t sleep because I was so worried about not passing the test. I think I read the book five times before I finally fell asleep. In the morning mom brought me to the Armory, I went in to take my test. It took me about forty five minutes to take it. I brought my test to the front desk they correct it right there, when she was done she came to tell me I passed. I was so excited now I could drive!!
Exactly one month later, all of the fears that happened in the past were returning. Was I going to fail? Was I going to get the same, strict instructor? As I slide out of the car and slowly shut the door, I could only hope that the same person wouldn't be there when I attempted to take my driving test last time. With that thought running through my head, my brain was in overdrive. All the wheels were turning as fast as they possibly could.
It was February 10th, 2015 when I had come home from school and had my dad take me out for driving practice. It was the day before my driver’s test and I had my dad in the passenger’s seat. It was a chilly afternoon and I was so anxious that I was excessively shivering. As I accelerated to move into
Another tip, Be on the lookout for other drivers. Constantly scan your mirrors to be aware of what other cars are doing around you. High eyes, a technique used by race car drivers, requires you to look out ahead. Avoid focusing on the car in front of you. While driving, think of scenarios that could happen and give yourself out. Look for safe options, You do not want to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid a wreck. Safe options are the shoulder of the road or open lane. Avoid lane changes unless needed to pass. Always use your turn signal before turning and changing lanes.
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” -Dave Barry, comedian. The number of accidents over the last ten years have drastically increased, drivers are paying less attention to the road itself. Many individuals behind the wheel of a car believe that their driving does not affect the road conditions, however it always will. The driving habits of today are catastrophic due to the reasoning that the driving will affect other lives through reckless or distracted driving, and disobeying traffic laws.
Starting at my early childhood I was forced to walk, crawl or ride a bike to get to where I needed to go, the next step was driving. I wasn 't sure if I was ready to drive, but I knew it was the next step towards adulthood. Driving is an essential tool that many adults in the real world cannot live without. Learning from my mistakes when I first started to drive helped shape me as a woman, but it was not easy at first trying to adjust. Driving meant that I was becoming an adult and that I had to take responsibility for all my actions. Thinking about that really gave me a hard time, because I was no longer my mommy and daddy’s little girl anymore. It was a bumpy experience but I was ready for the ride.
Driving a car and obtaining a driver’s license does perhaps seem to provide people with a great sense of independence and freedom. Teenagers need to feel independent in order to learn to become successful on their own as well as realize how to handle life situations on their own, and having a license seems the perfect start and most effective way to do so. When teenagers feel this independence they tend to act more mature, knowing the responsibilities they must now carry on their own (More4Kids). Teenagers often look forward to the freedom that driving offers as well. Teenagers are able to take drives to escape from life’s many stressed, and leave any troubles at home behind without rebelling out against their loved ones.
Getting my drivers’ license was an intense feeling that I will never forget. Just knowing that I had a drivers’ license made me feel so free, as free as a bird flying in the open sky with no real place to go, just a desire to be free. I felt like I could do anything. I had new responsibilities like most adults, and I came to a realization that I had lived through one of the most important events in the process of growing up. This event opened up many possibilities for me such as interests in cars, driving skill improvement, and freedom.