Winter Driving

I grew up in Colorado and have been exposed to winter driving conditions watching adults drive as a child. I was very excited to get my drivers license as I got older, and was very excited to get my learner’s permit at fifteen so I could start Driver’s Education. My mom was very supportive of letting me drive more and more as we practiced for hours. First starting in parking lots and dirt roads and then eventually graduating to the freeway. It was during Covid lockdown with extra free time and nowhere to be that my mom and I spent many hours driving around downtown Denver so I could feel comfortable in an assortment of driving conditions. I also appreciated my Drivers Education teacher because she happened to be somewhat calmer than my mom and offered different tips and tricks for me with her vast experience teaching people to drive.

Driving gave me the chance to grow my independence, and in a unique way. I turned sixteen during the first year of Covid. Attending school in my bedroom became a drain day in and day out without having many places to go. As many people experience depression during that time, I too was starting feel sad and anxious. Most of my friends didn’t live within walking distance, and going to the park was losing its luster. When I turned sixteen, I was able to take advantage of healthy coping strategies. Instead of holing up in my bedroom, I went for drives during lunchtime. I could get out of the mundane and explore in the safety of my car. I stayed in contact with my best friends, my Covid posse, and I could drive to their houses and bring them coffee and fast food and visit them while they were bored. I was the first of my friends to get my license and I felt it was my duty to help entertain them as well. I also decided to get my first job as soon as I could drive. Being able to take myself to work made things much easier and I really thrived on the idea that I was making my own money. Instead of being stuck in my room, I now had multiple places to go and be and my mental health improved immensely.

Shortly after receiving my license, we had our first winter storm of the season. I worked past dark that evening and ice had frozen the road over. Unfortunately, as I was driving home my car slid on ice and I bumped the car in front of me. Luckily nobody was hurt (except my front bumper) since it happened at a very low speed. A policeman was in the area and came to make sure everyone was safe and told me the conditions were such that he wouldn’t give me a ticket. Being a new driver, you can imagine that was a jarring event for me. I learned to leave plenty of space, especially while driving in weather conditions, because even the smallest of accidents can be very scary.

In some ways I wished I had been able to practice on winter roads more before I received my license, but now that I have a few winters under my belt I feel more confident. If anything, I also feel more caution when driving in the snow. Leaving myself time in the morning to scrape my car so I don’t feel rushed isn’t always easy when it’s cold in the morning, but it pays off by not being stressed on my way to school.

I’m glad I’ve been exposed to different driving conditions at a young age, and I can’t imagine how I would’ve learned to drive adequately without the help of a professional Driver’s Ed program. Having the ability to learn the rules of the road in a classroom setting helped me understand the basics before I started practicing driving. As a kid I didn’t always pay attention to road signs or what they meant, so learning their secret language was actually quite fun. Being able to practice with different people through my Drivers Ed program also taught me different perspectives, which I found beneficial in applying driving skills in the real world.

All in all, it opened my world to be able to get in the car and drive when I turned sixteen. I feel this positively affected me far more than the normal teenager experience, and for that I’m grateful to have received my drivers license after attending my Driver’s Ed course. It saved me in more ways than one.