I have been passionate about driving for a long time now. It just brings me peace when I’m sitting in an automobile behind the steering wheel. The friction between the ground and the car’s tires is just astonishing to me. I get excited to hear the car’s engine rev up when it’s time for it to pick up speed. You’re probably like what does this 14-year-old boy know about driving, let me inform you.
I’ve been driving for about a few years now, I know it’s illegal, but I don’t think it should be. I’ve only been permitted to drive when there is adult supervision, so in my case, it’s not illegal. I don’t get why most people say 16 years old and above for driving. It’s a skill, you should learn how to do it whenever you’re ready. I honestly think that they should go back to the drawing board for the requirements and revise it to 13 years old. This will help the youth to become more proactive in their everyday lives instead of just lying around all day.
Most people say that you have to have a big heart to let someone else operate your vehicle. I just think that the owner of the car would be taking a leap of faith. It’s just not right to have something that another person doesn’t have, and you’re not willing to help them get it. Taking into consideration what happens in everyday life, a child could really save your life. Learning how to drive can also be considered something close to a survival skill, emergencies are not foreseen, so you never know what will happen in the future.
Driving can also help to grow and manifest your brain. Being able to focus on more than one thing is something that not everyone can do. Driving helps to increase your mental stamina so that your attention spans can widen over a series of times. It’s like being able to speak more than one language, studies have shown that if you are bilingual then you have a lower risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This is similar to driving because if you have been working on this skill for a while, then you are less likely to get in an accident.
Being able to drive also comes with the increase of independence and maturity. When you’re able to have an automobile in your possession, it’s a great feeling. Also knowing that you can control the things around you and how you react to certain things from the comfort of your seat is a great feeling. Life isn’t the easiest thing you can go through but when driving, it just feels so simple. It’s one of the moments when humans feel most relaxed, when they’re at peace with the world. Driving can be a form of meditation for us all. In the midst of everything around you, you’re able to still be attuned with what’s reality and what’s not.
Trisen Phillips – Francis W. Parker School – DMSF Class of 2027