
Teens & Tweens
Never Assume Anything When Your Teen Receives
His/Her Learner's Permit
By Liz Conroy
Aug/Sept 2003
Friends with young
children ask me what it’s like to have
a new driver in the house. I show them my new gray hairs. I also
add, “The key to helping your teen become a better driver
is to never assume anything. Then teach your child this same idea.”
It starts with your child’s fifteenth birthday. At this
age, an individual may apply for a regular learner’s permit
at the GA Dept. of Motor Vehicle Safety (www.dmvs.ga.gov).
There, a 15-year-old can take the eye test and knowledge test in
order to receive the learner’s permit. This permit is valid
for two years. It requires a licensed driver of at least 21 years
old to ride in the front seat with the teen whenever the teen is
driving.
Our child seemed ready to get her permit. After all, she’d
brought a certified copy of her birth certificate, ten dollars
in cash, her school attendance report, and even a water bill to
show proof of residence. Actually, the Georgia driver’s license
of the parent or legal guardian serves this purpose. My husband
and daughter took a number and waited to take the test. A friend
and his son were waiting also. Both fathers and their teens assumed
they had all the necessary information. Wrong. One of the most
important items to have in hand is the child’s Social Security
number. Fortunately, my husband reached me by phone where I happened
to have this number. Our friend was able to reach his wife, also.
Check carefully about what information is required to get the learner’s
permit. It may save time later.
A few days later, I drove east on Macon Highway and stopped at
the yield sign near Milledge Avenue as traffic flowed by. Bam!
A car slammed into the rear of my car. After we both pulled over
to the side of the road, a young driver got out of his car and
apologized profusely. He nervously explained, “I am so sorry,
but I had absolutely no idea you were going to stop.” I was
angry, yet calm enough to explain to him what a yield sign was
and how a driver has to “yield” – stop – to
allow other cars to go by before proceeding. Also, he seemed not
to have a clue about leaving any distance between cars. We checked
our cars and no damage was done. However, the incident still concerned
me.
I asked my daughter if she and her friends knew what “yield” means. “Well,
it’s an old-fashioned word and no one uses it anymore unless
you’re a farmer talking about your yield of peaches or potatoes.
So you can’t assume people know what it means. Besides, the
Georgia Drivers Manual (available at the Kroger on West Broad Street)
doesn’t
explain it clearly,” she
replied. Fortunately, her teacher at the summer program for Driver’s
Ed at Cedar Shoals High School did explain the idea of the yield
sign thoroughly. So at least some teen drivers in this area understand
what the term “yield” means and what to do when approaching
the yield sign.
Another traffic incident occurred when I was driving
my children and their friends home from the Georgia Square Mall.
With the green
arrow, I began to make a left-hand turn onto the Atlanta Highway.
In horror, we saw a woman in a van on her cell phone driving straight
at us as she sped through the red light. Without getting off her
cell phone, she swerved around the front of my van, barely missing
us and roared on down Atlanta Highway heading west. It was a frightening,
yet good teaching moment. “This is a perfect example of why
one can never assume an intersection is safe, even when you clearly
have the green light,” I fumed. “When the light changes
to green on your side, still treat the intersection with caution.
Someone may try to crash the red light from their side.”
In
short, our new teen drivers cannot assume that intersections are
safe, that all drivers know what yield signs mean, that people
on cell phones are totally alert, and that pedestrians know
better than to step out in front of your car anywhere in downtown
or
on campus. Assuming is not safe for any driver to do.
* The free 2003 Georgia Drivers Manuals are available at the Kroger
location on West Broad St., Athens.
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