Drivers Ed

I got my drivers license two days after my seventeenth birthday, with no restrictions. (The law in NJ is now 16 for a learner’s permit, 17 for your provisional license, and 18 years old for the real deal – not that NJ is better than SC.) A few months later I finally got a car. And minutes after signing the paperwork, I was headed out for a night on the town.

That first outing in my own set of terribly un-cool wheels went like this. Rather than waiting in line to make a left hand turn at the big intersection, I did what everybody did and cut through the parking lot of the movie theater. With no clear entrance and exit lanes cutting through this parking lot was always precarious at best. Well, the car in front of me stopped and started backing up. So, I started backing up and hit the car behind me. I guess I “front-ended” him. Talk about a panic attack. I’d been street legal for all of one hour and already I’d had my first car accident. Thankfully no damage was done and I didn’t have to tell my parents. Well, until now.

I had my fair share (4ish) minor fender benders in my first few years as a licensed driver. Some did require telling my parents and a bit of body work (the car, not me). And it took awhile before I really understood the rules of the road.

I can remember driving with my father and him telling me to slow down. My response was “Dad, the speed limit is 40.” And he said, “yes, but the car in front of you is only going 35.” It still makes me laugh … and realize that we really need to be aware of the drivers who are sharing the road with us.
And, whenever Mom was a passenger in my car and I would be yelling at a careless driver she would warn me, “one day someone is going to pull out a gun and shoot you, you never know who these people are.” Well Mom, you were right.

Last Sunday I attended a party and the topic of road rage came up. We of course discussed the recent incident with the Sun City gentleman who was unnecessarily a target of violence. Then, I heard this story from a friend …

“I was driving down S.C. 170 earlier today and a white GMC Yukon flew past me and cut me off. I noticed that the plates were Legislature plates – S.C. Legislature Plate #97. He was doing 80 mph and talking on his cell phone!” (Yes, my friend sped up and broke the law to read the license plate.)

My immediate response was “you should have called the VOX!” and he said, “I did.” And his VOX comment made a really great point - after all, if we can’t keep our legislators abiding the laws, how can we get them to create the laws that will help our public good?

I don’t know the answer and since only 20% of us vote, I’m not sure that anyone actually cares, but consider this:

• In South Carolina the minimum Permit age is 15 years.
• The minimum License age (with provisions on nighttime driving) is 15 years, 3 months
• Full driving privileges begin at 16, if the provisional license has been held for one year and there are no violations of at-fault accidents on the teen's driving record.

At the risk of creating an uproar in high school lunchrooms across the county, I have to ask, is 15 years old too young to be driving a car? I say, yes.

Courtney Naughton is a Jersey Shore native who relocated to Bluffton. Since moving here she has shaved 100 miles off of her daily commute and hasn’t yelled at a fellow driver in eighteen months. She can be reached at courtneynaughton@hargray.com.