Personal Narrative: Twenty-Three And Finally Legal To Drive

For my sixteenth birthday my parents rewarded me with a car, but I couldn’t drive it for a very long time because I still had my Learner’s Permit. My parents soon agreed that if I get my Driver’s License, I would be allowed to drive my car to school and wherever I wanted to go, as long as I had their permission. In the beginning of summer 2014, I finally gained the confidence, and was positive that I was ready to get my Driver’s License. I was so excited, yet nervous at the same time. I took the test, and passed it on my first try. My parents

When you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles the line is inevitably long. As you wait for your number to be called you notice a teenager and his parent in an exchange that brings back fond memories of your own rite of passage into the legal driving world. The teenager, at sixteen, has just received his legal driver’s license and their parent has handed over the keys to the family car. As you watch the exchange do you stop to think “Should sixteen be the right age to acquire a legal license to drive?” Most people in our society drive a vehicle to get from one point to another. We never really

I often get asked why I don’t drive and my simple response to those who ask is simply that I have no interest, which isn’t necessarily true. The real reason I cower away from what I consider to be a huge responsibility of driving is because I have witnessed firsthand the crippling effects cars can have on the fragile human life. In February of my senior on a day that I had just happened to be home from school I received a text from an unusual number it was my best friend’s brother who had texted me to inform me that his sister, a girl who was at my house five times a week, someone who was attached to my hip had been hit by a car. The text was simple and nonchalant which made me think it couldn’t have been too bad.

At the age of 17 all I could think about was having a car. However, I understood that owning a car, I would be required to have a job. This would allow me to pay for insurance, gas and maintenance issues. I also understood buying a car required me to have a driver license. After taking all the necessary steps to purchase my first car. The very first car I bought was a “lemon”.

Around two months ago, I started driving. A couple days after my birthday, my dad took me to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain my learner's permit. At first, learning all of the functions and movements of a car was difficult, but I quickly grasped them after my school course and my parents started to teach me. As I began to become more familiar with the car, I started to drive through my neighborhood. Originally, I was nervous starting off, but after several times of being behind the wheel it begun to feel natural.

For years growing up, I always counted on getting my driver’s license the day I turned sixteen. I never really put much thought into the awareness and heed that is required while behind the wheel. I was an immature girl, not thinking about what consequences my actions could hold. My adolescent views of the world were about to land me in a world of hurt.

After a long sweet sixteen years, the day had finally come. The chance to get my driver's license. I could not wait. Walking into the DMV confident and cocky, I knew I would come out victorious. Of course, I passed with zero points off. I became overwhelmed joy and obtained a sense of freedom. One of the best feelings I have ever had was walking out of that DMV with a sheet of paper that said I was a legal driver. However, with that sheet of paper, came a great deal of responsibilities. Taking care of my car, obeying laws, and being safe all play a very important role in keeping my license. Failing to comply with these responsibilities could eventually lead to extensive damage or even major injuries to myself or others. However, these responsibilities

I could drive for as long as i wanted to with someone in the vehicle. The first time i got behind the wheel i was scared but i knew i could handle it. I was shaking a little bit but i was fine able i starting driving. I learned all the laws before i got behind the wheel. If i didn't know the laws i would get pulled over all the time. I never got pulled over while driving and i

“Sarah, slow down a little we are in a parking lot,” my mom said. Begrudgingly, I did and I instantly regretted it. I was losing power with speed, the slower the vehicle moved the easier it was to control and it was no longer a challenge. However, for now it was the only taste I would get. Even though all of my friends already had their permits, I had to sit tight and stand by for I was only fourteen at the time, and that year seemed to go on forever. In the state of Virginia to even take the knowledge portion of the permit test you had to be fifteen and six months. It was

Also, my sister was pregnant at the time and my family was coming over to be there for my nephew's birth and her graduation. I was one of the few persons in my family who had a driver's license. It was my obligation to drive my family around. I did not want anybody to know what I was going through, so I kept driving with a suspended driving

I can’t help but think about Robert Frost’s quote. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Looking back at what happened, I can now see why I deserved to go through these obstacles. As a child, I hardly ever broke any of my parent’s rules. But, on the off chance that I did, I would always get caught. This made me reluctant to break even the minor rules. One rule was to never get into a car with a person unless my parents gave their approval first. Being seventeen years old, I felt like that rule shouldn’t apply to me anymore. I thought, “ I’m old enough to get into a car with anyone I want to.”

April 9th, 2016, was the day I left the BMV with my learner’s permit in hand. I had a grin from ear to ear as I walked out of there and realized I was finally one step closer to driving on my own. Step one out of several had been accomplished in my climb to success. However, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to complete. That climb to success could’ve ended in one of two ways. I could’ve either failed my final test and walked away completely defeated; or passed and gotten my official driver’s license. My sweaty palms and shaky legs were the biggest clue as to how this journey started. However, I couldn’t just start driving right away.

Learning something new can be a frightening experience; especially for a sixteen year old high school student who has not really experienced life until now; yet, I was filled with an enormous amount of anticipation and eagerness as I learned to drive for the first time. Without a doubt I had a lot of fears, I would wreck the car, resting in the back of my mind. Months earlier, I had read a report published in a magazine, and I knew that statistically one out every three teens has an accident in the course of their first year of driving, but I was determined not to be one of those statistics on my first day. I kept telling myself “I am not going to crash; I am not going to crash; I am not going to crash.” I was trying to convince myself there was nothing to it, that driving was easy, but I knew there was no way around it; I had to overcome my fears in order to gain my independence and freedom. The ability to drive myself places would give me my individuality, even if I did have to have an adult passenger with me while driving. But to a sixteen year old kid; if I could drive I would be free to navigate the world, and the possibilities would be endless. I would transcend into adulthood.

Within days of turning sixteen, I made an appointment for my driving test. In the early seventies, the process of acquiring a Driver's License was not as complex as it is today. Less than two months after turning sweet sixteen, I proudly held a piece of paper allowing me to legally drive an automobile. My bank account had grown enough to purchase a quality, used car, but I lacked the finances to purchase the required expensive,

Driving fast in a car may be unsafe but the thrill and excitement of high rates of speed gave me a rush I had never felt before. Seeing, feeling and hearing everything go by faster made the whole driving experience so much better. My mouth watered with envy as I approached the drivers' seat every time I went out for a drive. The automobile, as a whole, became a high interest of mine; the styling, the sound and the speed of it. I loved driving and I loved cars and all of this new found love was from the birth of my drivers' license. Such a simple piece of paper opened up such a broad area of learning for me; it was of much amazement to me.