The bell rings at Highlands High School and students pour out the front doors, ready to go home. Some get picked up by a parent, friend, or sibling. Others may walk, bike, or ride a scooter. Those that are old enough can drive themselves home.
Driving can be dangerous for anyone, especially for a student with very little experience driving and little preparation for unexpected situations. Buckle up and get ready to look at some challenges for teens on the road.
Getting a license is the first step to getting out on the road.
Violet Hisey (11) recently got her license and assured that the process was not as stressful as it can seem.
“I was super nervous the week leading up to my test because I thought I was going to fail, but the test was extremely easy,” Hisey said.
Hisey was pleasantly surprised by how easy the test was. However, the test doesn’t prepare for everything.
“Practicing for and passing my test definitely helped me with certain aspects of driving on my own, but other elements such as intersections and highways weren’t covered. I’ve had to put in extra practice in those areas to get comfortable with driving on my own,” Hisey said.
Even though practicing for and passing the test can prepare new drivers for many challenges on the road, it doesn’t address a lot of what could happen when driving.
Officer Rohlfer, the school resource officer, warned about some of these dangers.
“The vast majority of accidents are due to distracted driving,” Rohlfer said.
When most students’ parents started driving, phones did not exist.
“I’ve always found it easy to stay focused while driving. I enjoy driving quite a bit, so I guess that’s probably why. I know a lot of my friends have trouble staying focused while driving, though. I think that’s because they get distracted by the music playing or the conversation they’re having,” Hisey said.
Focusing on the road can be crucial to the safety of drivers and pedestrians in the community.
“Here in this community it’s kind of like a mashup of making sure that drivers, and pedestrians, and cyclists, and people on scooters, and now you have golf carts, that they are all safe together.” Rohlfer said.
Being aware of these challenges plays an important role in making the community safer. Keeping prepared for unexpected situations is even more crucial. Car breakdowns, accidents, and bad driving conditions can be real problems for drivers.
“Things like a flat tire or how to jump a car, you just need to ask someone before it happens. The worst thing to do is wait until you are on the side of the road in icy conditions with a flat tire and have no idea what to do,” Rohlfer said.
Asking parents or other drivers to give tips and tricks that they have learned from experience can help new drivers prepare for the challenges of the road. Even driving to school can be a learning experience.
“After getting my license I’ve definitely learned and gotten more comfortable with intersections,” Hisey said. “Since I’ve been driving on my own, I haven’t had someone to tell me when it’s my turn to go. This has led me to learn a lot more about when it is my right-of-way when it comes to intersections.”
Having experience driving through different places and different conditions can help new drivers feel comfortable on the road.
“You don’t want to go do dumb stuff, but if you never drive in the snow then you won’t learn what it’s like to slide a little bit and control that. You won’t learn what it’s like to not slam on your brakes and freak out,” Rohlfer said.
When new drivers slide on ice they may panic, however this response can be harmful to themselves and others on the road. As a new driver knowing the appropriate response to emergency situations is important to safety on the road.
“If you are in a bad accident, and you have your friend with you, and they need medical attention immediately, and you call dispatch, you need to know what directions you are headed on that highway and you need to know the mile marker,” Rohlfer said.
Even the most cautious and focused drivers can be in bad accidents. The risk for teens to do something reckless or drive distracted is higher than an older and more experienced driver.
“What you need to tell dispatch is, I need help, I’m northbound 471 at the 2.8. That’s what will get us to you there the fastest. So what happens a lot is people don’t understand what direction they are going and they’ll say I’m near exit 2 and I’m northbound and actually they are kind of near exit 2 but they saw that a half mile ago and they’re actually southbound,” Rohlfer said.
