Driver’s Ed: What You Need To Know

Photo H. Huschke

Learning to drive and becoming a good driver is not an overnight accomplishment, but a crash course (pun intended) might make it easier.

All Photos: H. Huschke

by: MARIA LINCK and JOIE BALDYGA content editors

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For most teens, getting their driver’s license is a big deal. Driving is a rite of passage because it gives teens something thing they desire most: freedom. Working up to a glorified slip of paper that lets a teen drive by themselves is a long and detailed process. Driver’s Ed is an experience that almost everyone goes through, but the journey is easier with tips, tricks and just general facts about driving. Driver’s Ed is a stepping stone into adulthood, and over the years, as much as it has changed, it has remained the same. Both the significant cost and the overall format that are in place today were still factors many years ago. “I had to pay for both of the sections [of Driver’s Ed],” explained Central Spanish and History teacher, Ashley Howe, “my parents wouldn’t pay for it because they said it was a privilege and that if I wanted to do it, I would have to pay for it on my own.” After explaining the format and schedule of Driver’s Ed when she was involved, Howe concluded that she believes “that it is very similar to what everybody does now. I don’t think it has changed a whole lot.” Central English teacher Kathryn Shelley-Barnes learned to drive in New Jersey. “When I moved to Michigan I had to take a driver’s test, not a driving test, but a hand test. I had to review some of the laws.” Shelley-Barnes also explained that one of the differences between driving in New Jersey and driving in Michigan is that in New Jersey she had to get her car inspected for emissions and pollution. Also, when Shelley-Barnes learned to drive, there were not any restrictions like time and number of passengers once somebody got their license. “You got your license, you got your license. Bang, you could drive any time you

“Driving is one of the first true steps to independence that most teens experience in their lives.”

wanted to. The number of kids in the car didn’t matter. None of those laws existed when I was a kid, and I don’t think that was just New Jersey, I think that was across the board,” she explained. The format of Driver’s Ed has been the same for years now. According to the Michigan Secretary of State, a person has to be 14 years and eight months old to begin segment one of driver’s training in Michigan. The first segment consists of 24 hours of classroom instruction, six hours of practice in the car and four hours of driving observation. Along with these guidelines, students are expected to pass a written test and a road test during the sixth driving hour. Only then can a new driver go to the Secretary of State to obtain their level one license. After three months of having a level one license and 30 hours of practice driving hours (two of which have to be at night), students can take segment two of driver’s training. Segment two is much shorter than segment one, with only six hours of classroom instruction required and a short test determining whether or not students can move on to take the road test. The road test is the final part of Driver’s Ed before getting the level two license, which allows people to drive on their own, with some restrictions. The road test examines, evaluates drivers’ abilities on different aspects of driving such as using the According to a recent survey of 97 CHS students, 86.6% passed their final driving test on the first try, 7.5% passed on their second try, and 6.5% passed on their third try or higher. Because such a high percentage of students pass their driving test on the first try, it is not surprising that many students testified to the fact that Driver’s Ed did prepare them to drive. When asked, if Driver’s Ed fully prepare them to drive, one CHS student explained, “I got all of the necessary information and learned how to drive safely on the road.” The 16th birthday marks a significant milestone in the lives of many U.S. teens, and for most people, getting their driver’s license is often the reason why. “I’m ready to have my own freedom and be wherever I want when I want,” explained Ralphie Ford ‘22. Ford believes that driving is definitely a rite of passage because “it represents you growing up and maturing, having that sense of responsibility.” Driving is one of the first true steps to independence that most teens experience in their lives. An independent and contributing member of society is what defines an adult, and becoming one step closer to that respectable status is a major accomplishment and rite of passage in the eyes of many. According to Howe, getting your license is monumental because “when you’re a freshman or a sophomore you get driven around everywhere by your parents, but then you finally get that freedom to be able to go and do everything on your own. It’s that independence, and then it’s also the new responsibility that you have to go with it.” Although driving is often celebrated as a moment of growth and transition into adulthood, driving is a responsibility that needs to be taken very seriously. Ashley Ingraham, owner of the local driving school Drive My Way, takes a more serious approach. She does not believe that driving is a rite of passage, but a privilege instead. “Driving a 5,000lb killing machine is a privilege Graphics: J. Baldyga, J. Doerr, M. Linck

and should be treated as such,” she explained. CHS Science teacher Kelly Smith also believes that driving is a sign of growing up, “but you can be an adult and not drive,” she explained. Math teacher Julie Puckett agrees with the notion that driving is a rite of passage, but she also brings up the point that a license is “much harder to get to nowadays because of the prohibitive costs.” When Puckett took Driver’s Ed she did not have to pay for it because it was all through the school, but the transformation of Driver’s Ed from a free program that was included with school into a business that requires registration and fees has added a new factor into getting the highly-anticipated driver’s license. Driving can be a scary experience often because there is no way to tell what is going to happen, but this danger and unsureness increases with young, inexperienced drivers. These experiences happen to everybody, and can be extremely scary in the moment, but once they are over can be a learning (and laughing) experience. Everyone has embarrassing driving experiences. In an effort to ease worries for new drivers, the BGQ is sharing some anonymous survey responses from students about their personal driving experiences: “I was driving down a road going like 60 and a deer went zoom right in front of us and if we were going a little faster, we would have hit it, so that was really scary.” “On my first drive I accidentally drove on the wrong side of the road” “I was going 90 mph and after I asked if my instructor cared he said ‘No, I’m just waiting for you to pass a state trooper’” “I turned right, and overshot the turn and was in the left turn lane.... luckily there was no one there.” “My driving instructor brought us to a complete stop on the freeway in 5 o’clock traffic.” “I was stopped on the side of the road in town and my teacher was telling me to pull back into the lane, but there was a truck behind me moving fast he didn’t see. He tried to reach over but I stopped him or else we would have hit the truck pulling back over.” “I accidently stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake when I was driving downtown” “I was parallel parking and when I pulled out I hit the gas and hit the car in front of me” All drivers face the risks of being on the road, but inexperienced drivers face the highest chance of getting into an accident. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, 1.25 million people die each year from car crashes and the most significant reason for these crashes is inexperience. Teens ages 16-19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than drivers over 20 years old, according to statistics from the government of Michigan. With so many intimidating statistics showing the amount of people who die each year from car related injuries, it is a miracle that anyone is still joyous about getting behind the wheel. Not only do age and experience play a significant role in road safety, but gender also plays a substantial role. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2016, for drivers ages 15-20, 32 percent of male drivers involved in fatal car accidents were speeding, while only 22 percent of their female counterparts were speeding at the time of the fatal accident. These percentages decrease with every age group examined, with males being more likely to be speeding at the time of a fatal accident 100 percent of the time. Only seven percent of speeding males ages 75 and older were involved in fatal accidents, and six percent of females. When asked about her take on the number of teen car accidents and deaths, Ingraham wrote “Cocky kills. Kids are over driving their abilities and letting stress, distractions or peer pressure alter the way they should be maintaining a vehicle on the roadway.” Reaction time is crucial to being a good driver. Untrained eyes can downplay possibly hazardous conditions. Young drivers are more likely to have a slower hazard reaction time or underestimate hazardous road situations than older, more experienced drivers. Coupled with lack of experience, this slower reaction time can be very dangerous, even fatal.

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2016 alone, 10,497 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for 28% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Alcohol induced driving is most common among drivers from ages 21 to 24. Inexperienced drivers can drive recklessly, which leads to car accidents, but knowing these dangers also causes anxiety among many new drivers. Ralphie Ford ‘22 felt that the hardest part about getting his level one license was “dealing with nerves when I’m driving. I get nervous about cars swerving or randomly stopping.” There are just so many factors that go into a safe driving experience that no one can be completely confident and unaware while driving. When asked about tips they would give to new drivers/people taking Driver’s Ed, CHS students had a lot to say. Responses varied from “use common sense” to “Calm down and think of all of the stupid people driving. You’re thinking about it way more than they are.” As more experienced drivers, teachers also have driving tips and suggestions for their students. Howe urges her students to “care for the people in your car. That’s precious cargo. That’s someone’s baby, or daughter, or sister, or brother, or best friend, so be careful with who’s in your car. It’s important to be safe for them and for their families, not just for yourself.” Shelley-Barnes recommends and urges her students to slow down. “If you slow down you can almost get out of any situation,” she explained, “there’s just too much speed, because then it’s hard to control the car.” Smith advises her students to “practice a lot and reduce distractions.” She also explains that “hands free talking is still a distraction if the person is not in the car, whereas if the person is in the car, it is better because they can see what is happening too.” Puckett argues that “practice, practice, practice,” is the best thing for learning to drive. She believes that “the more hours you can get behind the wheel, the better. Like math, you have to practice to get good at it.” The most common piece of advice was to just pay attention. Many students agreed that although the class was boring, paying attention was the best key to success. Students had varied opinions about whether or not studying was necessary, but in general students agreed that doing the homework, although mundane, was worth the effort. “Take the homework and class time seriously it will pay off later,” explained one CHS Junior. One Sophomore put it this way: “Pay attention so you don’t have to take the class more than once.” Another common piece of advice was to relax. Everybody is going through the same thing, and nobody is a perfect driver on their first try. Students agreed that practice is the best way to get better. Ali Teeple ‘22 recommends people “pay attention in class and do the homework. Take a deep breath before the first drive.” Driving is a skill that is largely learned through experience, so listening to the instructors and parents is a good way to get better. For students in segment 1, driving instructors may pass out “pink slips” that allow students to drive with their parents with some restrictions. “Pay attention,” instructed one CHS sophomore, “and drive every time you can once you get the pink slip.” Generation after generation, people from all over the world have successfully completed Driver’s Ed. If that crazy driver who lives down the street can get through it, you can too. //