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.