<p>I don’t want to say that getting my license is an absolute necessity but it’s pretty damn close to being one. I have after-school and before school and weekend activities. It’s getting to the point that I can no longer rely on friends and family to drive me around. Like today: I am currently writing this in school because my parents will not be able to take me home until 11. It is now 4:15 PM and I have been at school for two and a half hours.</p>
<p>Yes, I am from Ohio (one of the most restrictive states when it comes to driving). You have to go through Hell and back to obtain a license, and I still cannot believe that I got it. But, like I said, it’s all about getting your fears straightened out and just obtaining the motivation to go out and get around. But, really, once you have it (for me) you lose absolutely all fear, and it’s like anything else. I mean, you still have to be cautious (you always need to be cautious), but it really isn’t that bad. Now, I’m like, “I was scared of this?”</p>
<p>P.S. When I was doing my 40 hours, I kind of skimped a little on it, doing only about 25, but my parents thought that I was fine with that, so they just signed the affadavit. It’s no big deal. When you’re ready, you’re ready.</p>
<p>@girlin Can you walk home?</p>
<p>My home is about 5 miles away and it is bitterly cold, so unfortunately, no :(</p>
<p>Yeah, I need to learn to drive too- if you ask my parents, though, it’s so that they have someone else to go to the grocery store and I can drive myself to my flute lessons :).
I really need it by this summer, though, because I’m considering interning at a hospital and I’m not sure if I could get carpools. The only problem is that the programs I especially want to do are in NYC, where you can’t drive until you’re 18…</p>
<p>I’m assuming you live outside of New York. If this is the case, you can drive in New York if you have a valid license from another state.</p>
<p>No, I live in suburban NY- what some people call “upstate” even though it’s at the very bottom tip of the “mainland” state.
So I’ve got the worst of both worlds, it seems…</p>
<p>Huh. Most teens are excited about driving. I was personally scared of running over an animal. That is to this day my worse nightmare. I am really cautious to be sure that doesn’t happen. Honestly if you drive like a sane person, check mirrors, pay attention, go the speed limit, etc you will be FINE I have yet to have a accident. Althought carelessness has led me to almost 1- Hit a bridge. 2- Hit the ditch several times. But those things where MY fault because I was not paying attention. Driving is actually really easy once you master the art of it.</p>
<p>I am going to be 18 next month and I STILL don’t even have my permit yet! Everyone I know thinks I’m totally insane. But my mom has been dragging her feet a lot because of the danger/insurance, and I haven’t pushed the issue much because I don’t really have anywhere to drive (my mom’s not going to get me a car or anything, so if she can’t drive me somewhere, she’s probably using the car), and I’ve never been able to find several hours for the drug and alcohol course. But she said I can get my permit for Christmas, so I’m going to get it now.</p>
<p>The first time I drove alone was when I needed to bring over the over from where my dad had parked at the DMV to where the license test administrator was. Pulling out of the parking spot, I hit the curb. In my state, that’s an automatic fail. Luckily…no one saw, except for my highly amused father. :P</p>
<p>Driving is a scary thing at first. I remember learning while I had my permit and wondering to myself, how the heck am I going to do this every day? It’s perfectly normal. Millions of other people do it every day and come back unscathed.</p>
<p>If you have your permit (not sure how it works in other states, but I’m pretty sure it’s required for teens everywhere), then get lots of practice while you can. When your parent or other responsible adult becomes comfortable enough to stop clutching the edge of their seats, the arm rests, or the handlebar on the roof of the car, that’s usually a good sign that you’re doing something right. When you’re ready, get lots on practice on the roads, especially during traffic! I think having that adult in the car makes the task seem less daunting, and traffic was what terrified me when I was learning to drive.</p>
<p>My suggestions:
Always drive at the speed everyone else is. If you drive too slow, you’re probably likely to freak yourself out as other cars speed by you or pass you. Also, driving slow makes it more difficult to merge lanes and can become hazardous if everyone else is driving faster than you. Be looking off into the distance, rather than right in front of the car. You should be watching for cars that might be waiting to turn into your lane and upcoming stoplights. Always check your blind spot. Never use your phone while driving. Trust me. I’ve dented the side of my car doing this. (No one was hurt, and only my car got damaged. Thank God!) If you happen to already have a car or you know which car you will be driving after you get your license, practice on that! Trust that most drivers on the road with you are smart and experienced enough to avoid accidents on their own. Of course, you should also know basic maneuvers, like quickly changing lanes or swerving, gradually braking, and what to do at a yellow light, depending on your surroundings and how long it’s been yellow.</p>
<p>It does become second nature! You’ll be fine! I have never met anyone who isn’t an adequate driver or who never became one.</p>
<p>I feel your pain. I was terrified when I first started driving by myself like six months ago, and to make matters worse, I got in a minor accident before I’d even had my license for a month, which definitely freaked me out. If anything though, it just made me more cautious. Honestly, as long as you know the rules of the road and you drive at the speed limit of the cars around you, it’s not a huge deal. Kind of a learning by imitation thing. And you don’t have to start out on the highway constantly. Most of my driving is just to school and practices and meetings that are right around my house, and it made it a lot easier until I could finally kind of venture out of that comfort zone surrounding my main area. Trust me, I was so scared to drive, but it will make your life SO much more convenient. If almost everyone in the country can do it reasonably well, I’m sure you can too :)</p>