Teens around the country have to spend more than 30 hours for driver’s education before even starting their actual driving lessons. After completing those lessons, the student has to drive a certain number of hours (depending on the state) of behind-the-wheel training before they can test for a license. After all these long hours of work to learn a completely new skill, isn’t it natural to want to gain a reward for all that effort? The independence of being able to drive yourself places without having to rely on a friend or parent is just one driver’s test away. Is it wrong to want that prize when you know you’ve put in the time and effort to achieve it? The only thing that’s blocking you from your rightful accolade is a pandemic that is completely out of your hands. Since driving tests have been temporarily suspended, there is no way for these teens to get their license. In this time when schools have been closed, the unemployment rate has reached a Great Depression level, and the government is trying to pay small businesses, we should be able to proceed with more unconventional methods. Online driving tests aren’t difficult at all to administer as long as one has a car, internet connection, and another human handy. So we should allow this new driver’s test. Shouldn’t we?
In every driver’s education program, one motto is repeated over and over until it is a drill surgeon hollering in the student’s ear every time they take their foot off the break. Driving is a responsibility, not a right. A driver is not only in charge of the vehicle, but of its inhabitants and everyone else he meets on the road. Getting a driver’s license does not just signify that one knows how to drive but the fact that they are responsible enough and understand the risks of unsafe driving. Already due to the pandemic, Georgia and Wisconsin are letting teens skip the driver’s road test. Wisconsin allows anyone who has completed the necessary driver’s education and driving hours and is under the age of 18 to apply for a driver’s license online without a road test. Many have disputed this new regulation, but would it make more sense if a driver’s test was made available via a video conference? In this new digital age, Zoom, Skype, and Webex thin the span of social distancing. People already use these video apps for work, school, and contacting loved ones so what would be so wrong using it for a driver’s road test? The reason why is the same reason why medical students are required to intern with professionals before they enter the field themselves. The practical portion of the test must be supervised by an actual instructor because of the variety of steps he must check for. In a video meeting, it would be almost impossible for someone to check for the proper handling of the vehicle. Glitches and the difference between actual time and what shows on screen would make it much harder for the instructor to determine a pass or fail. For the past decade, the pass rate for students on the first try has been around 46%. Instructors are already making sure that they pass students who they know will handle the vehicle properly. With such a precarious line between pass and no-pass, it is not a reasonable option to choose a virtual road test. Especially during this pandemic where everyone is advised to reduce travel and try to separate themselves from others, postponing a driver’s test makes more sense than taking it through a video app.
An instructor cannot watch both the student and the road at the same time to determine whether they are driving the right way. The driver could look like they have everything under control--foot light on the accelerator and eyes sweeping the side mirrors--but he or she could be cruising straight over a lane divider and the instructor wouldn’t notice. It is a difficult decision to choose to postpone a driver’s test, but in the end all you have to do is ask yourself: would you rather drive alongside someone who passed his test with an actual instructor beside him or one who took a virtual road test?
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