SAN MARCOS, Calif. — The pandemic has been challenging for teenagers in so many ways. Although students have been able to go to school online, there is one skill they can't learn while sitting behind a desk and that's driving. In this Zevely Zone, I chronicled the past year as my teenage daughter, Brianne, learned how to drive. I am offering some suggestions for other parents navigating the DMV process during COVID-19.
In 2005 when my wife, Heather, was pregnant with our first child, I couldn't count the number of people who warned me, "Time moves fast. You'll blink your eyes and your children will grow up." I used to roll my eyes and think that couldn't possibly be true. When our daughter was a baby and unable to sleep through the night, it seemed at the time she would never grow up. But as many parents can attest, the days may feel long but the years fly by. Somehow that little baby turned 15 years old and started asking about getting her Driver's Permit in early 2020. Suddenly, I found myself at the DMV last summer, standing in line, then sitting socially distanced while Brianne took her written permit test in order to start the process.
We then hit the road with Dad-Daughter driving lessons. We started with the basics, driving on quiet streets, and working on turn signals. "I'm turning left, so I go up?" Brianne asked. I told her, "Nope", as she clicked the blinker in the wrong direction. "What I don't? Dang it," said Brianne. Blinkers weren't the only roadblock. During our second lesson, my 15 and a half-year-old daughter couldn't figure out why the car would go. I have video of the moment where she realizes she was holding the keys to the car in her hand and the engine was not running. I asked her, "What did you forget to do?" She laughed and responded, "Oh my gosh, put the key in the ignition and turn the car on." I am proud of my girl for letting me share these humorous moments with you. She has a thick skin and only wanted to master the skills of driving no matter the setbacks.
When teenagers want something bad enough, their learning curves move faster than the cars they're about to drive you in on the freeway. I grew up in Leucadia. Interstate 5 was a part of my daily routine as a kid and suddenly there I was as an adult in the passenger seat watching my daughter merge into fast moving traffic. "Good job Brianne," said my 13-year-old daughter in the backseat of the car. I added, "Wow, Interstate 5 southbound on the way to the beach!"
A few weeks later, we did it again but at night. "Alright, first time driving on the freeway at night," I said. "How is it going?" Brianne told me, "Great. A little nervous. But it's okay. Breaking a little sweat."
If you've got a teenager, they have a lot to accomplish before their 16-th birthday. They'll need 6 hours of Driving School Lessons and 50 hours driving with a parent's supervision.
Before Brianne's 16-th birthday, the DMV cancelled her driving test due to COVID restrictions and a backlog of other DMV customers waiting for their appointments to be rescheduled.
We used the extra time to practice driving but also mastering the instruments in her car. "Lights, brights on, and the window shield wipers," Brianne said while looking like a pilot during a pre-flight system check. I told her there would be a horn test at the DMV during her driving test and sure enough there was that day. Brianne took her driving test at the DMV in Oceanside. Back in 1986, when I turned 16-years-old, I took my driving test at that same location.
Months before her driving test, Brianne's driving school instructor showed her the DMV test route so she could practice and prepare in advance. On the day of her test, Brianne even wore earrings that swayed back and forth when she turned her head while looking for other cars. "My friends told me to wear dangling earrings so when I turn my head it accentuates the safety," said Brianne.
I know it may sound like overkill, but I was grateful Brianne was taking driving so seriously and considering every detail. I have told her many times that driving a car comes with great responsibility. I told her when a person drives a two-thousand-pound machine, safely sharing the road is a matter of life and death. I know I sound like a typical father, but I often see distracted drivers on the road. When I was a child, we didn't have the temptation of a pinging cell phone. Brianne knows to turn her phone off and put it away when operating the vehicle.
Overall, I'd say earning a driver's license during a pandemic can 'drive you' a bit crazy. You should expect numerous delays and cancellations, but at the end of it all, I learned that all you can do is say a prayer and send them on down the road. I stole that line from a Garth Brooks' song that always brings a tear to my eye.
At the end of Brianne's DMV driving test, she emerged grinning from ear to ear. "I did it," she said. I laughed and could only say, "Ha, ha, my little girl all grown up driving."
I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the DMV. The staff was always courteous, professional, and practiced social distancing throughout the process. I can't imagine how difficult it is for the DMV staff to keep smiling and providing excellent service throughout a pandemic. The DMV did just that during all our appointments and a process that stretched over eight months.