The drive to succeed pays off with a license
Warning, warning! My 16-year-old son is officially a licensed
driver as of this week. This is the same kid whom I remember like
it was yesterday putting in the car seat for the first time outside
of Hazel Hawkins Hospital and letting go of his bicycle seat when
we took the training wheels off for the first time.
The drive to succeed pays off with a license
Warning, warning! My 16-year-old son is officially a licensed driver as of this week. This is the same kid whom I remember like it was yesterday putting in the car seat for the first time outside of Hazel Hawkins Hospital and letting go of his bicycle seat when we took the training wheels off for the first time.
Now, he is taking another step toward freedom and adulthood as well as taking his turn waiting in line forever at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
As we drove this week to the local DMV, the same spot where I nervously took my driving test 25 years ago, he admitted to having butterflies in his stomach in advance of the exam.
One of his basketball teammates encouraged him to wear some sort of Baler gear, because that kid said the guy who administered his test liked talking about sports, so why not take advantage of the opportunity.
So he wore a Baler basketball sweatshirt and baseball cap, figuring it couldn’t hurt. As it turns out, it didn’t help either, because the woman who stepped into the car with him was all business and didn’t care to talk about sports.
She asked me to wait inside as the test began, and I hoped for the best.
Having driven with my son over the past few months after he obtained his permit, I felt confident that he would pass his test. I also told him that there is an amazing amount of horrible drivers out there with licenses, so his chances of passing the test were pretty good.
As I passed the time in the waiting room, along with 26 other people, I fielded texts from my wife, my mom and my son’s girlfriend, all of whom were anxious to learn the results. In just less than 20 minutes, he strutted back into the office, informing me that he had passed.
He did receive a two-point deduction for not doing a shoulder check during a lane change, but that was the only blemish.
“The curb was the scariest part,” he admitted as we left the parking lot, discussing the requirement to park on a street near San Benito Foods. “I had beads of sweat. I’m never that nervous in a crunch-time situation playing sports.”
Good, I told him. Driving is a big deal and you need to be cautious – maybe not sweaty cautious, but careful.
When he was first told to back up in a straight line, the car started moving forward, he recalled, thinking at the time that he was doomed.
He couldn’t get a good gauge of how he was doing from the reaction of the evaluator, who coolly and calmly recorded her observations on her clipboard without comment.
“When it is safe, please make a lane change,” she told him, devoid of inflection or emotion, as an evaluator should be.
In the end, he scored well and was awarded a license to drive by the state of California.
I half-jokingly show my disappointment when my San Benito High School students report that they have earned a license, as it means that I have to drive even more defensively around town.
So this is fair warning to San Benito County drivers that another 16-year-old is on the road, hopefully running errands for his parents or driving his brother to practice.
If you see my son making an unsafe lane change without doing a shoulder check, let me know. If you see him exceeding the posted speed limit, turn him in. If he is playing his stereo too loudly, give him a dirty look.
If he is driving too cautiously, give him a break. All I want for Christmas is for my son to be a safe driver.
For more musings from Adam, check out his blog at http://thebreenblog.blogspot.com. He teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is a reporter for The Pinnacle. He is former editor of the Free Lance.
