Masuk Free Press

Each morning and afternoon, the Masuk parking lot transforms into a battleground where students navigate through a maze of cars, hoping to make it out unscathed. In a frenzy to escape the parking lot and quickly get home, students often find themselves sacrificing cautious driving for the sake of efficiency. This leads to a dangerous combination of speed and impatience. 

It is no secret that the Masuk parking lots have seen their fair share of fender benders, and this poses a question about the legitimacy and level of difficulty of our current license tests. 

“The first accident I was in, I was just in my parked car talking to my friend, and it was after school when everyone had already left. The person was backing out of their parking spot and they hit my car right under my headlight,” stated senior Harini Gosukonda. “It was just kind of unexpected because it was definitely preventable, especially because my car was parked.”

Unfortunately, incidents like these are not rare in the Masuk parking lots, and various other students have fallen victim to reckless driving. 

“My car has been hit while stationary two times over the course of this year alone,” said senior Chris Dunn. “The first time I was just sitting in my car right after I had just parked.”

These concerns are not unique to students, as some staff members have also expressed concerns about the safety of the Masuk parking lots.

“It’s been advised to a lot of teachers to wait to leave the parking lot because it’s dangerous,” said Masuk teacher Joel Castillo. “A lot of students are racing out of here thinking it’s cool and it’s a game.”

Teenagers often bear the brunt of negative stereotypes regarding their driving skills, with a widespread belief that they are inherently prone to recklessness behind the wheel. Though it is undeniable that with age and years of experience everyone gets better at driving, it is also important that we provide student drivers with the tools they need to succeed and grow as new drivers. 

For many students, it is typical to take driving lessons through a local driving school. Driving schools make the process virtually effortless, providing educational lessons as well as hands-on experience for students, and allowing them to take their license test directly through the school rather than the DMV.

In recent years due to COVID, many driving schools made the transition from in-person to online classes, and have continued with this method post-pandemic. Though these online classes can be convenient, is it possible that the process has become too easy?

“I took driving lessons at Knepler driving school in Monroe, where the 32 hours of classroom time were online and then eight hours were in person. I didn’t really pay attention to the online lessons,” said senior Kenzi Eltaib. “But I would say it was relatively easy to get my license. During the in person lessons I did practice, and practice does make perfect.”

This experience is common among most driving students and across various driving schools.

“I took my lessons at Howe and I never really learned much because it was all online,” said senior Leah Callison. “It’s really hard to stay focused, especially because the classes are so long.”

Many students agree that the in-person lessons are much more beneficial than those online. With driving schools transitioning to online learning after the pandemic, numerous students admit to not paying full attention during these virtual sessions. This compromises their understanding of crucial driving concepts and safety measures. 

Not only do students view the classroom lessons as a waste of time, but the test itself is considered to be extremely easy. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to get your license at all, especially if you do it though a driving school, because they’re super lenient. My test was really simple and I know some people who didn’t even have to do a left turn on their test,” said Gosukonda. “I just think the current test doesn’t really test properly what you really need to know to drive.” 

Though the pandemic prompted driving schools to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID, it is essential that we reevaluate the efficacy of the current approach to drivers ed. Instead of relying heavily on virtual instructions, shifting the focus to more hands-on learning and emphasizing practical experience would aid in cultivating a generation of more responsible and experienced drivers, and would make the roads and our Masuk parking lots a safer environment.