Driving Dilemma

October 21, 2011

By Maddy Moloney

In-depth Editor

In a perfect world, all songs on iTunes would still be 99 cents, summer vacation would be extended from memorial day until labor day and all teenagers would get their licenses the day they turn 16. Unfortunately, the world is far from perfect.


Senior Torry Garretto experienced this imperfection first hand.He had watched all of his friends receive their licenses and now it was his turn. Leaving the Schaumburg Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV),  Garretto’s mood  turned a shade darker than his Grand Jeep Cherokee. He was leaving without a license.


“I feel bad because everybody has their license except me,” Garretto said.  “I feel like I’m not even an adult since I have to wait for rides.  I’m way far behind.”


The driver’s license exams consist of three separate tests:  the vision screening, the written exam and the driving exam. The state of Illinois allows three attempts to pass the exam from the date you pay your application fees, according to cyberdriveillinois.com. All new drivers, as well as any drivers 75 years old and greater, are required to take the driving exam.


The driving test is scored according to the driver’s ability to drive safely while being able to correctly perform several tasks, such as parking on an incline or backing up. Although it may come as a shock, passing the driving exam is not as easy as one may think.


“The first time, I failed right off the bat. I turned left [when she told me to] and I shouldn’t have — she tricked me,” Garretto said.


Garretto returned to the DMV  to attempt to  conqueror the test his second time around, but was unsuccessful yet again.


Although not having his license hurts his pride, it takes a bigger toll on how he gets around.


Without his license, Garretto is forced to ask his friends for rides to and from swim practice,  which averages out to be 14 rides per week. Not only does it affect his ability to get to practice,  but it also affects the teams tradition of upperclassmen driving the underclassmen to practice.


“I can’t drive anywhere, so I feel dependent on [other] people,” Garretto said.



Despite the negative effects of not having his license, there may also be benefits.


According to allstate.com, 16- to 19- year-old’s  fatal crash rates are four times more likely than that of an older driver.  The statistic argues that it is better to have a “bad” driver off the road rather than  risking an accident. According to GMAC insurance, 33 million American drivers are unfit for the road.

“Some days I feel like I am [a good driver], but I don’t feel like I pay attention all the time,” Garretto said. “So maybe not having my license would be good, but I need it.”

This October, Garetto will be going back to the DMV for round three with one more year of experience under his belt.


“I’m confident. I believe I can do it,” Garretto said.