Driving. Every teen loves the idea of having their own car and having their own responsibilities when it comes to things helping them feel–or be–more like an adult. This amazing feeling of freedom comes at a cost, though. Being a teen driver can be an expensive (and risky) endeavor.
Getting a driver’s license is a huge deal for teenagers. It’s like a first step to being an adult and not having your parents drive you around anymore. You’ve probably been sitting in the back seat forever, just watching the world go by. But now, you get to be the one in charge. It’s kind of cool but also a little scary. In Risk Factors for Teen Drivers | Teen Drivers | CDC paragraph 2 it states “The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens ages 16–19 than among any other age group. Teen drivers in this age group have a fatal crash rate almost three times as high” as drivers ages 20 and older per mile driven.
To help teenage drivers be as safe as they can be, an accredited driver’s education course is required for new teen drivers. Adults who are getting their license for the first time can just do their supervised driving hours and take the test, but teens have to prove that they’ve taken a qualified driver’s ed course. The prices of these courses varies from $300-$700 in the state of Ohio, which is a lot for a teen to pay, along with all the other costs. Most teens I talked to say that their parents pay this cost for them. There are some teens that just don’t get their license until they are old enough to not have to take the class. This won’t be as easy soon, because a new Ohio law will require the course for new drivers up to 21, when before, it was 18.
In addition to taking driver’s ed, you have get your learner’s permit. To get it, you have to pass a written test that is all about road signs and traffic rules and stuff like that. Most new drivers have to study a bunch, and it can be super stressful hoping you don’t fail. There are several ways to study, including online resources that let you take practice tests.
Once you have your permit, you get to drive with an adult, this is where you actually learn how to drive. The first time you get behind the wheel, it feels kind of weird, and you might be scared, but you have to practice so you get better at it. Lots of people start out driving just in parking lots or on backroads, where there aren’t traffic lights, lane changes, and roundabouts to worry about. Eventually, new drivers learn how to do things like parallel parking and three-point turns, and how to drive on the highway and at night. 10 of your 50 supervised driving hours have to be at night. This part is super important so you can become a good and safe driver. You need 10 additional hours with a certified driver’s ed teacher, and businesses like Westside Driving Academy and Bick’s Driving School will even pick students up from our high school.
Then comes the driving test. This is where you have to prove you can drive by yourself. A person called an examiner watches you to make sure you follow all the rules and know what you’re doing. You have to show them you can control the car and pay attention. The test involves two sections: maneuverability, where you have to back up in between set cones, and the road test, where you have to show your skills on the open road. The whole point isn’t just to pass, but to show them you’re a safe driver.
When you pass the test, you get your driver’s license! It’s like a free new place, there is a lot of new build trust for new drivers, there is a lot of difficulties but also a lot of freedom to show. this shows that there is a lot to know about driving and there is a lot to it like your ticket to freedom.
You can go wherever you want, which is awesome. but you also have to be careful. It’s your job to make sure you and everyone else on the road is safe. The best drivers are the ones who are good at driving and are also super careful and safe on the read, in Risk Factors for Teen Drivers | Teen Drivers | CDC paragraph 9 states “The fatal crash rate at night among teen drivers (ages 16–19 years) is about 3 times as high as that of adult drivers (ages 30–59 years) per mile driven.”
Once you have your license, which costs around $30-40, depending on what kind of license you get, the next big cost is the price of the car and the accessories for the car such as air refreshener, steering wheel cover, seat covers, ext. Most teens have to pay for their own accessories, but in our poll, most parents are the ones paying for the car. Lucky us! We should be super nice to our parents (Ms. Evanson wrote this).
One cost many student drivers don’t think about at first is the cost of insurance. Insurance for teens is much more expensive than it is for adults, because teens are involved in many more accidents than adults are. Very few teens have their own insurance; instead they are on their parent’s insurance. Some kids pay their portion to their parents, and others have their parents pay it for them (again, be very nice to your parents).
There are also the down payments and the monthly payments. Some teenagers are paying for their own cars, and some drive a family car when they can get it. Drivers have to factor in ongoing maintenance costs as well, like oil changes, tire rotations and replacements, windshield wipers, and other routine things. More expenses are when they have to put in the shop to get more serious work done on it such as a flat tire, headlight out, brake light out, blinker not working ext. It can be difficult to pay for all this as a teen in school and working. It can also be hard to keep up with and to also keep up with schoolwork and job work.
Is it all worth it in the end?
The real answer is yes, yes it is. For most teenagers, the cost of freedom is worth the ongoing monthly costs of gas and whatever portion they need to pay of car payment and insurance.
You could be the best driver on earth while either people aren’t and that is what causes most accidents the article Unmasking The Realities Faced By Today’s Teen Drivers stats that, “Becoming a licensed driver is an exciting milestone for teenagers. However, it also comes with numerous challenges and responsibilities.” The people being bad at driving or normal accidents happening It’s in nobody’s control half the time and half it isn’t their fault so why blame the teens for the crashes?
Why not just accept that things happen and you can’t do anything about? Sure, sometimes the teens are the issue, and then you can blame the teens; but sometimes the teens have done nothing wrong and what happens is out of their control. The article How Teens Can Be Safer Drivers | NHTSA states that, “You may be excited to start driving and become more independent; however, you need to understand that driving is a lifelong learning process.”
Remember stay safe and buckle up!