Her knuckles turn white as she clutches the wheel tighter, going 35 mph down Cypress Creek Road. Her mother in the passenger seat reassures her again that it is safe to gain a little speed as the car behind them flashes its lights, the “student driver “sticker on her bumper glowing in the high beams. Suddenly, the light she is approaching turns yellow and she hits the brakes, the sound of her tires screeching mixing with the honking horn of the angry driver on her tail. This, she thinks, is the last time she’s getting behind the wheel.

Whether it be due to fear, low motivation, lack of support or busy schedules, teenagers today are not as quick to get their driver’s license as they have been in the past. According to the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Statistics Series, the percentage of 16-year-olds in the United States with a driver’s license in 1995 was 43.1%, while in 2021, 25.3% were reported to have their license. In less than 30 years, this percentage has nearly halved, but students with their licenses have tips and tricks to help others receive their own.

After taking her driver’s test at a local DPS, junior Lucy Wigert got her license on March 28, passing with a score of 90. She had her learner’s permit for nine months, two months more than the required six months; an example that learning to drive is different for everyone.

“My mom let me drive the car wherever we went,” Wigert said. “I practiced parallel parking the day before I got my license, which was the only thing I got counted off for on my driving test. Now, I love driving. I will choose to drive everywhere I go.”

Wigert used Aceable to prepare for her license, an online driver’s education program approved by the state of Texas. Through Aceable, an adult driver’s ed course can be done entirely through a smartphone and completed in six hours. Students can pay for parent-taught driving courses and permit test prep resources online or in the Aceable app.

“I hated Aceable, every second of it,” Wigert said. “It’s just really boring. The little robot guy they have narrating the course made it better, but it was just boring. I finished my Aceable work the day before I got my permit, and then I finished my final tests in the hours before I got my license.”

Students learning to drive often have one specific skill they struggle with. For Wigert, backing up was something she had the most difficulty mastering.

“Reversing was definitely the hardest part about learning to drive because it didn’t click with me that the way you turn the steering wheel is the opposite way the car is going,” Wigert said. “That took a lot longer for me to learn than I expected. I’d start trying the wheel one way and then realize it’s not the right way.”

Although Wigert passed her test the first time, it is not uncommon for students to need to retest before getting their driver’s license. After getting honked at while at a yield sign, senior Emma Weltens failed her first test at the DPS due to being a hazard to traffic.

“I took my second test at a driving school,” Weltens said. “The hardest thing about learning to drive was parking and switching lanes. I’m glad I practiced as much as I did because I got a lot of practice and time behind the wheel, but I would recommend logging your driving hours and getting all of the tedious work done early.”

For Wigert, the main piece of advice she has for students learning to drive or preparing to get their permit comes from mistakes she has made while on the road.

“Make sure you’re aware of your surroundings, and also make sure you’re checking over your shoulders whenever you’re going into the next lane,” Wigert said. “I didn’t learn to do that until a few months after I got my permit. I would only look in the mirrors, not my blind spots. I would be like, ‘okay, perfect. Merge!’”

Driving can be dangerous, and there may be times after receiving a driver’s license that students will learn lessons through situations on the road. According to Lucy Wigert, it is important to remember that driving is a privilege, and should be taken seriously, however, students should not be too hard on themselves when working to get their license or permit.

“I don’t have my learner’s permit yet because it seems like it will take forever to get,” sophomore Elizabeth Miller said. “I’m scared of driving and I think that if I get my permit, then I’ll have to be on the road.”

Some students take lessons at driving schools to gain confidence on the road and work on specific skills with a professional. A popular driving school in Cedar Park used by students is Wilco Driving School on Lakeline Blvd, which is the school that Miller will be using when she gets her permit.

“I’ll learn to drive eventually because I want to be able to get myself places instead of having to depend on others,” Miller said. “It would be really cool to drive because then I could have more ‘me time’ and I could drive my friends and I wherever we want to go.”

This story was originally published on The Wolfpack on November 13, 2024.