From the time that children learn what a car is, a desire to drive is planted in many hearts.
Although driving provides a new kind of thrill, it can also bring nerves along with new opportunities. From worrying about speed limits, to stop signs, driving can bring stress into many teenagers’ lives when driving to and from their homes and activities.
“Sometimes there are scary people on the road,” freshman Gabi Gernhart said. “It’s scary being around those people when you are driving.”
On the other hand, some students ease right into the driving world and are not at all nervous about their newfound driving abilities. Those who don’t have the nerves are grateful to have their own means of transportation and some say that being able to drive is much more efficient than other alternatives Driving opens up new opportunities like being able to depend more on yourself instead of your parents, and being able to rely on yourself more to get around and do other things. — Sophomore Cheyenne Laing
Not only is driving an advantage for students, but it can also make life much easier for the parents of the new drivers. Things such as picking up siblings to help with errands can significantly help parents and take stress out of their busy schedules.
“It made my curfew later,” freshman Garrett Lennon said. “Because my parents can stay home and go to bed instead of coming to get me.”
Though driving can help parents in many ways, it can also be a worry which may play into earlier curfews. On the other hand, driving may install more trust between parents and students and teenagers might have more freedom when it comes to staying out later.
“It depends,” Gernhart said. “Whether it’s a school night or a weekend, it just depends.”
