Vroom! Vroom! Almost every teenager anticipates the day when they can start their own car. But to many teenagers their dreams are shattered by lawmakers and high insurance rates. What exactly is holding us back?
The Drivers Education class at Thomas Edison High School is run by Mr. List. It is offered to thirty- two students per term. Students must be at least sixteen years old. The purpose of the course is to promote defensive driving and for teen drivers to gain more experience in safe driving. “There is more to driving than just shifting, breaking and hitting the gas. The goal of the class is to ensure that students drive safely for the rest of their lives,” said Mr. List. The cost of the course is $300. Students meet twice a week, which involves one day of lecture and one day of driving. The entire course is forty-eight hours long. Students are required to take six hours of driving, twenty-four hours of theory and eighteen hours of observing other students drive. There is one car provided by the Board of Education.
Students taking Drivers Ed are graded for the course. Their grade is averaged into their report card every marking period. The theory part is weighed more heavily in their grade. It includes classroom discussions, tests, and quizzes. Students taking the course have several advantages. They are not required to have a permit and do not need to take the five- hour class. They also get their senior license at the age of seventeen and get a fifteen percent insurance discount until they are at the age of twenty-five. There are also some disadvantages. If students fail the course they can retake it, but they will have to pay $300 again. Students who pass the course have to schedule their road test by themselves.
Another option for students under eighteen is taking the written test at The Department of Motor Vehicles, to get their permit. Once students acquire their permit, they can enroll in a driving school. The main goal of the driving school is to teach you how to pass your road test. If you pass your road test, you receive your junior license. The conditions in New York City for teen drivers are very severe. Get this, students who have their junior license CANNOT drive in any of the five boroughs under any circumstances. So what is the point of making these options available to students? It is very difficult to gain experience if you cannot drive any under circumstances.
Statistics show that students under the age of twenty are the most accident prone. AAA reported that they combined experience and immaturity behind the wheel. Teenagers contribute the most to traffic accidents and highway deaths. The AAA also reported that insurance companies are lowering the number of young policyholders in regular coverage. The insurance companies send them to more costly risk insurers. The majority of teen drivers object to these policies. They feel that they are being stereotyped by the statistics. It is not fair that they have no opportunity to drive in New York City. Hello, students have things to do and cannot depend on their parents to chauffeur them around. Parents also have lives. Students need to travel to school and work along with doing other errands. One student said, “Because of these stupid laws I can’t be independent. I am seventeen years old and I still depend on my mom to take me everywhere.” Not all teens are incompetent drivers. STOP STEREOTYPING TEENS!
One option is the graduated license program. In this program, there would be an intermediate stage for students ranging in ages sixteen through eighteen. It involves more restrictions and greater supervision. Mr. List said, “Parents should play an active role in their child’s driving experience.” When drivers gain more experience and maturity, they get privileges instead of restrictions. However, this law has not been passed in NYC.
Yes, it is true that teens have lives, but how can they become independent adults if they depend on our parents or public transportation to get around? According to New York City, they will not be competent drivers until they’re thirty! So what now? Ask New York City.
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