This is one of the many Drivers Ed handouts students receive after taking Drivers Ed. They remind students of the information they learned and help prepare them for the driving test. (Photo Courtesy of Ellie Thompson)
Many underclassmen envy the students who have the ability to drive to school. The freedom of having no limits on where you can go is huge for high school students. As a junior or senior, students can leave campus for lunch, offering invaluable times of rest.
In the United States, citizens can obtain a driver’s licence at age sixteen. But in order to do that, North Carolina requires thirty hours in a class and six hour behind the wheel. These many hours can seem torturous to students, but they are necessary. You can enroll at age fourteen and a half, and if all requirements are fulfilled, you can obtain a permit at fifteen.
Various states require different qualifications. For example, some states require no class, but only behind the wheel hours. Some states have stages of permission, from the classroom to various specific classes to behind the wheel.
Drivers Ed is a right of passage — it is long, but it is an experience many share and can laugh about.
“The best part was making friends… and the worst was all the quizzes,” said Ava Forrest, a freshman who took the class over the summer. She mentioned the length of the class — seven hours a day for a week over the summer — as one of the worst parts. If you take the class during the school year, the times vary.
There are a few areas where they can improve. If the state reduced the hours needed to complete the class, it would be easier to remain engaged. Also, if the curriculum was more up to date, the information would seem more influential. “[They should] update the test books and online quizzes to be more modern,” said Forrest.
Most of all, students want freedom. Driving offers this, but it requires Drivers Ed “[I want to be] able to drive on my own and go places without getting my parents to have to take me,” said Forrest. To earn the independence of driving, take Driver’s Ed. It may be long, but the end result is worth it.
Hi! My name is Ellie and I am the editor in chief for The Mycenaean. I play soccer at NCFC and go to The Summit Church!
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