My most memorable feeling of independence came at 17, when I drove to my New Jersey high school just after getting my driver’s license. It was the first time I’d been allowed to drive by myself. The feeling was euphoric: This is what it means to be an adult, I remember thinking. I had had stirrings of independence in the past — being allowed to stay home alone, riding my bike to a friend’s house; and since — going away to college, moving out of my parents’ home. But none has compared to the day I got my driver’s license.
In March, the Valley News published an article by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts that reports on state policy issues, showing that fewer American teenagers were getting their driver’s licenses. In 1996, Stateline reported, 85.3 percent of high school seniors across the country had a driver’s license. That figure dropped to 71.5 percent in 2015. High school seniors in the Northeast are least likely to have their license — 64.8 percent.
The topic intrigued me and I decided to make driving — reflecting the general theme of independence — one focus of the August edition of Valley Parents.
So why are fewer teens getting their driver’s licenses? My initial reaction was to blame their obsession with social media and what some see as their general disconnect from human interaction. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. As correspondent Kelly Burch found in her reporting, two age-old reasons are at the root of the trend in the Upper Valley: time and money.
In New Hampshire, cost is a particular concern. Since schools are not required to offer driver’s education as part of the curriculum, the cost has been pushed onto students and their parents. The $700-plus price tag, not to mention insurance costs, is a barrier for many families. The course also must be completed outside of school hours, making it more difficult for students who are involved in after-school activities. While driver’s ed is still offered in Vermont schools, completing the 40 hours of behind-the-wheel time with an adult over 25 can pose a challenge.
“In the Upper Valley, a driver’s license is key to survival,” Upper Valley Driving Academy owner Rich Kearney told Burch.
And the teenagers who need their license most may be the ones to have the most trouble getting it.
“Especially for our kids who are low income, it’s really hard,” Katie O’Day, director of youth services at The Junction Youth Center, told Burch.
With little financial assistance available for teens, the feeling of independence I got on that first solo drive at 17 seems out of reach for many.
On a lighter note, Burch also shows how parents can “pick their battles” and let their preschoolers dress themselves — giving youngsters a taste of independence and an element of control in their lives.
“I think it’s really important to respect children’s desire to express their independence through their clothing,” Allison Colburn, director of The Child Care Center, told Burch.
In an essay about her 3-year-old daughter, Harriet, Burch discusses the dilemmas that emerge when people react to the toddler’s choice of clothing.
Independence, or the lack of it, are recurring themes throughout childhood. While parents or guardians are the primary decision-makers about what their children can or cannot do, it’s important to remember that the same opportunities are not open to everyone.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at
esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
