Some local teens are in no hurry to get behind the wheel
Text 
No Comments [ Add Comment ]By LINDA EAST BRADY
Standard-Examiner staff
Henry Ford first got us rolling as a nation. Books like Jack Kerouac's 1957 classic "On the Road" made us restless for the open road. Then came rock 'n' roll, and everyone from Chuck Berry to The Beach Boys to Bruce Springsteen sang the praises of the highway.
But as American car companies suffer like never before, bands like Wilco sing of sitting on the passenger side. Unlike their elders, who saw the driver's license as the ultimate Sweet 16 gift, many teens today are delaying their solo date with the steering wheel.
Bart Hadley, who teaches driver's education at Roy High School said he has noticed a marked change in attitude in recent years.
"We have more and more kids starting to take the class after they are 16," Hadley said. "Some just say, 'I don't want to drive.' I think there is some fear factor in it, but there are other reasons, too."
Hadley notes that vehicles and insurance are tremendously expensive -- and gasoline as well.
"And there is simply a lot more traffic on the road than there used to be, too," Hadley added. "I think kids think it'll be easy, but then they try it and aren't so sure about the other guy. I couldn't wait to get my license, but I'm 45. Back then, we just didn't have 2 million other cars competing for road space when I was learning to drive."
Hadley also notes that many kids have no qualms about using public transportation like the bus or FrontRunner.
"Or they'll get one friend in their group to get the license, and that person becomes a kind of chauffeur for the group," he added.
Feeling safe
Jessica Winward, a 17-year-old senior at Ogden's St. Joseph High School, has yet to get her license. She's close to finishing her requirements, and has been driving with her father and stepfather for some time now.
"Oh, I have my permit -- but I had to renew it, because I have had it a year and a half," said Winward. "I just haven't felt that much of a need to take the test and get the license."
A few years ago, Winward's then-17-year-old sister Bonnie was in a life-threatening wreck down the street from their house.
"She was in a coma for about a month afterward," said Winward. "I don't think about that having an impact on me, but it probably subconsciously bothers me. But I think when I do get my license, I'll be a safer driver because of that happening."
Caroline Kunz, an 18-year-old senior at Ogden High School, is now officially on the road. But even after driving on a permit and finishing her driver's training, she waited a good six months before taking the test.
"Every day, my friend's dad would take us to school, and he would ask, 'You have your license yet?' " Kunz laughed. "Everyone was bugging me about it. I think I was slightly scared, because I think the fact that it is me, all alone, in a big machine. Just me and myself is the one who is going to keep me from hurting other people? I just wasn't quite sure I trusted me that much."
Recent studies show that even a year or two make a difference. A number of states are considering raising the driving age to 18. New Jersey, the only state that has a 17-year-old requirement for first-time licenses, was compared in a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to Connecticut, with the typical age requirement of 16.
The study found a fatality rate for young drivers of 4.4 per 100,000 in New Jersey, compared with 20.7 per 100,000 in neighboring Connecticut.
Other ways around
Friends with licenses, and kind family members, have helped Kunz and Winward get around.
Kunz said she mostly depended on her mother to take her where she needed to go.
"She liked to have me take her around, rather than have the responsibility of driving, I think," said her mother, Cindy Kunz. "She didn't have to worry about getting there in time, or finding a place to park. I had to worry about that, not her."
Caroline's brother David, who will be 16 in February, is driving on a permit now, and his mother said he is excited to take the test in a few months.
"Of course, he is a boy, and they tend to be more daring by nature," the elder Kunz said. "But David also went through the training at Ogden High, where they have a driving course where they can practice alone. Caroline went through A-1 (Driving Schools), and they are out on the road with a car full of people for their practice. Maybe it's that time alone behind the wheel that gives him more confidence."
Said Caroline: "My parents went so far as to try to bribe me with a trip to New York if I would get my license before my (17th) birthday, but I wouldn't do that." She laughed. "My friends could not believe that, but I just wasn't quite ready, I guess."
Besides the bus and her own two feet, Winward said she often depends on her boyfriend and other compadres to chauffeur her about.
"I think part of why I don't get it is a lack of motivation," said Winward. "My boyfriend is quite chivalrous, and would probably insist on driving me even if I could. And so many of my friends are involved in plays and the same activities I am in, so it is easy to catch a ride."
Winward lives near 30th Street and Harrison -- close to everything, she noted.
"I live on the way home from everybody, it seems like," Winward said. "Now, if I lived in the Valley or South Ogden, I would probably have my license by now. But instead, I am right here. I have a bus stop across the street from my house."
But what about the freedom promised by the open road?
"If I need to get a break and no one is around to drive me, I walk up to Grounds (for Coffee) and chill there," said Winward. "So I always have a place to go when I want to get away from my house. My freedom is literally within walking distance."
Experienced drivers
Will Santana, an 18-year-old freshman at Weber State University, is an old, safe hand at the wheel. He used to live in a small town in Idaho, a state where drivers can get a learner's permit at 14, and a full license at 15.
"So I'd been driving about two years when my family moved to Ogden when I was 16," Santana said. "It really wasn't a big deal. Sure, it was a little different driving in the city traffic, but it really didn't bother me much."
Now that Caroline Kunz has had her license for almost a year, she says she feels confident at the wheel.
"Personally, I think waiting was the right thing to do," she said. "I'm not at all afraid to drive now, and in fact, I enjoy it a lot." She laughed. "My mom enjoys it, too."
Winward has to finish up a home-study course to meet her requirements to get licensed. She's set a personal goal to finish and take the test by the time her final week of rehearsal for her school play hits in December.
"We call that Hell Week," Winward said. "The hours are long and everyone gets so stressed. It would be nice, at the end of those nights, to be able to get in my quiet car and head home."
Santana offers a little sage advice for beginners.
"I would say to drive carefully and always, always pay attention to what you are doing," he said. "It is something to take seriously. Don't get in a hurry. And remember, the more experience you have, the better you will get at it."
Add Your Comment
