The "No Longer Driven To Drive" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in the local newspaper about teen driving and trying to remember the day when I got my driver's licence for the very first time.  It was a couple of weeks after I had turned 16 years old.  I lived on North Queen Street in Lancaster, PA at the time with my brother Steve and mom and dad.  Queen Street was a two lane one-way street going north.  Behind our semi-detached home was an alleyway that ran behind the ten homes that were on the northern half of our block.  The alley was partially dirt and stones.  Our house was the last one with a large building that housed a printing company to the north of us.  Therefore the alley stopped directly behind our house.  My dad had a huge stationwagon at the time and he used to allow me to drive it up the alley and then back the car down the alley to our property.  I can remember driving that wagon up and back many times each day, in all kinds of weather.  When it rained the dirt would naturally turn to mud.  I can remember putting the car in first gear, holding the gas pedal down and popping the clutch to see how long the tires would spin before the reached the hard dirt under the top layer of mud.  Then, I'd have to get the bucket and hose out and wash the car and the side of the neighboring building that would be covered with mud.  Day after day I would drive that car back and forth.  Lucky that gas was only 30 cents a gallon at the time or dad would have nixed the driving.  I was quite good at shifting that old car as well as backing it down the alley.  The day I turned 16 I went with my dad to the State Police Barracks to get my learner's permit.  Boy was I excited!  I actually wanted to take my driver's test that day, but dad said they wouldn't pass me since it would look like I had no experience.  Little did the police know how many miles and hours I had already logged driving up and down the half-block behind my house.  As I think back on those days I wonder why the neighbors didn't complain to mom and dad about my driving behind their houses all the time.  They had to hear me as well as have to put up with the deep ruts that I made behind their garages.  Well, after two weeks of bugging my dad to get my license he finally took me back to the State Police Barracks.  I had to answer a bunch of questions then take the driver's part of the test with a trooper in the passenger's seat.  The test route was right behind the police barracks and I aced it.  Didn't miss a stop sign, turn, or hit any pylons.  The best part of the test was when I parrallel parked that bear of a car perfectly in the spot that was marked.  Had to be within 6 inches of the curb and I did better than that.  The trooper and I sat there and he told me I had missed two questions, but I impressed him so much with my physical test that he passed me.  I now had my freedom!  Later that day mom asked if I could drive to the store for a few items and I ran to the car.  While making my first turn with no one in the car but me, I pushed the pedal too quickly to the floor and the car fishtailed.  Scared?  You bet!!  I almost wrecked the car during my first turn alone.  I learned quickly that day that driving on the road by myself was somewhat different than driving back and forth in my alley.  A newspaper article I was reading today told about the culture change that has taken place as far as teen drivers goes.  They aren't as interested in getting their driver's license as teens in my time.  The cost of insurance, gas prices and low peer pressure to get the license seem to be the reason.  The parking lots at school aren't full like they used to be mainly because of the hefty fee that is charged by the school district for a parking permit.  That plus the fact that drivers under the age of 18 must undergo a six-month waiting period after getting their permit as well as completing 65 hours of behind-the-wheel before taking their skills exam.  Wow, I can't imagine waiting that long or driving that long with my mom or dad before I could get my license.  But, I guess people my age remember what it was like when we got our licenses and how we drove and are now responsible for making the laws more stringent after looking back and realizing what we did as teens.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.