Driving is one of the milestones in our lives. Last year, this milestone
occurred in my life. While learning to drive, I had an exciting time and learned
several lessons.
The first two lessons I learned really go hand in hand. First, I found that
procrastination does not pay. Next, I found that taking small steps is good, but
there’s a time you just have to take the plunge. I didn’t begin driving until my
learners permit had almost expired, because I was afraid of other cars and
pedestrians! At first, my Dad and I would drive around Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base where we both work. We only drove on deserted roads, and saw nothing
but groundhogs! They were usually smart enough to stay away from me, so I only
had one close encounter. During this time, I was too timid to drive faster than
20 miles-per-hour. One day, we went to an abandoned runway and he made me drive
at 60 miles-per-hour. I thought I was going to take off! Finally I signed up for
Driver’s Ed. and I had to take the plunge. I drove home on a busy road at about
45 miles-per-hour! Help!!! The funny thing was, after I did that I wasn’t as
scared anymore. After I finished Driver’s Ed., I had just one day before my
permit expired to take the test. Thankfully, they could get me in, and I didn’t
have to renew it.
The third (and I think most important) lesson I learned was about attitude. This
I learned from the dreaded orange cones. What are they? We’ll see! I took my
Driver’s Ed. classes in a small dingy, room. First we’d listen to our instructor
talk about the topic of the day and then we’d watch some movies about driving.
These would have helped us as beginning drivers except for the fact that they
were so gory it was disgusting. They were all about people getting smashed as a
result of drunk driving, or by taking foolish risks around trains. For the
driving part of my classes I drove a comfy, red car with a talkative, elderly
man around Springfield. We drove on residential roads, on highways, up and down
huge hills, on back roads, in the rain, in parking lots, and just about every
place you can think of! It was fun until one day we pulled into a parking lot
with the dreaded orange cones. Now, those of you who don’t live in Ohio may not
know what these are, but every 16-year-old in Ohio does! They are the tools of
torture that the testers use to evaluate your parking skills. You have to pull
perfectly parallel into them and back out the same way. “That’s easy,” you may
say. Well, it may be easy after you’ve been driving for years, but for someone
who’s been driving for a few weeks, it’s hard! Well, as we tried these cones, I
discovered something: I had no talent at backing. I hit those cones time and
time again! Well, after a few hours of this, my Driver’s Ed. teacher gave up,
and said to practice with my parents. So, night after night, Dad and I tried
those cones, and hard as I tried I still kept messing up. Finally I got
discouraged. “I just can’t do it! Stupid old cones,” I’d mutter and keep hitting
the cones! Finally I realized that I needed to change my rotten attitude. I
needed to have confidence in myself. So, when I changed my attitude, I changed
my driving. That night in the parking lot taught me the important lesson that
attitude makes a big difference!
The next lesson I learned was that being on time and prepared is always best. On
the day of the driving test, I confidently pulled into the special parking space
in front of the tester’s building. I had just finished going over the route my
Driver’s Ed teacher said the testers used 99 % of the time, and I was ready for
the test. As I was parking, I saw another girl running inside. It was really
cold outside and she didn’t have a coat on. As she dashed into the building she
said, “I’m so late.” But, of course she had forgotten her paperwork, so she sent
her boyfriend to get them. Finally, she finished and went out to her car. Next,
it was my turn. I gave all the required forms to the tester, and she filled out
another form. She had me take it and go sit in my car. As I was sitting in my
car, I saw the girl come back. She parked and then she put her head on the wheel
and about started crying. Obviously, she had failed. So, I was glad I was on
time and ready!
The fifth lesson I learned was during the test itself: be prepared for the
unexpected. After the tester checked my lights and signals, she got in the car.
She directed me to an exit I had been out many times, but then she did something
different. She had me turn left at a light instead of going through it as I had
practiced. We drove on a few back roads and then we turned back into the parking
lot. As we were parking, she told me we had gone a different way because she had
seen a man running out of the bank and dashing across the street. A few minutes
later a lot of police cars pulled up in front of the bank and she presumed he
had robbed it. So, she said she wanted to see if we could find him! That was
just a little too exciting!
The other lesson I learned from the driving test was that hard work pays off,
because not only did I get a driver’s license, I passed the test with flying
colors! So, drivers beware! Another teenager takes to the road! Fortunately this
teenager is now a prepared, proactive person.
Please Send All Comments Or Suggestions To: Ruth