Learning to drive is something most teens look forward to. Most may think it’s only about getting away, but it actually provides opportunities and learning experiences for many students.

When you ask any high school student, you’ll most likely hear that driving is great because it provides more opportunities to be with friends.

“I’ve been able to just pick up friends and go places with them,” said Addison Bicknell (11).

“I get to see my friends, like, half the time now,” said Eli Martin (12).

While it’s great to be able to spend more time with friends, there’s also a guarantee that you will eventually run into a dangerous or nerve-racking situation.

“Some people go like 60mph on the road, and I almost hit one because he braked in front of me,” said Ryan Husson (11).

With situations like this, however, students are able to learn and adapt the way they drive.

“And now I just hover over the brakes a lot more, and I make sure that I have no distractions from driving,” said Husson.

Bicknell and Martin also had negative experiences on the road but both learned something important from it.

“I thought the person in front of me was going and, like, I wasn’t really locked in, and so I kind of just rear ended them. How did that impact the way I drive now? I’m more cautious… I like, pay more attention to what’s going on,” said Martin.

“I got pulled over in my mom’s car for her registration being expired. I thought it might have been for speeding, so I was really scared… so I definitely slowed down a lot. Like, I like going 30 in like a 45, and I definitely slowed down because I didn’t want to be pulled over for speeding,” said Bicknell.

Driving can be a scary thing at first, but you make mistakes, learn, and get better. It’s also important to enjoy being a high school driver while you can, as it can provide great opportunities and memories that could last long after high school.