“You can’t switch lanes here!” “Brake, Brake, BRAKE,” “You’re going to hit that car!” “Go faster, go slower, What are you doing?!?” Every year hundreds of students (specifically sophomores) get their permit and take on the universal experience of learning to drive with terrified parents in the passenger seat.

Students living in Maryland are able to get their learner’s permit as early as 15 and nine months, meaning most students get their permit anytime from summer after freshman year, to the end of sophomore year. Maryland operates under a graduated licensing program, a three step program designed to reduce the risk of driving for teens. After completing driver’s ed and successfully obtaining a permit for over nine months with 60 hours of practice, Marylanders can test for their provisional license at 16 and six months and later their full license at the age of 18.

With that comes the ultimate freedom. Want to hang out with your friends? You can drive there. Want to drive to get ice cream? Go for it. Want to drive three hours to the beach for the day? Why not? “[The first time I drove was] from my house to Crown to get Starbucks after I got my permit [it was] very fun but scary and I drove pretty slow,” sophomore and new driver Jolie Ginsburg said.

The process of learning to drive is trial and error, and then more error. “[My first time driving] I drove over a squirrel. The second time was with my sister and her boyfriend, they didn’t realize it was my second time driving, so they made me take them to Silver Diner on Rockville Pike, I almost hit three cars and didn’t stop for two red lights” said senior David See.

While physically driving a car and pressing the pedals isn’t necessarily hard, having to handle different situations on the road can be difficult for new drivers. “ [In the Kentlands roundabout] This guy was honking at me because I was going too slow and my mom wouldn’t give me directions… I was pretty traumatized… he flipped me off,” Ginsburg said.

With that in mind, students opt for a new driver sticker. “It’s ugly, but I have one so I don’t get honked at,” sophomore Jia Micalizzi said.

A quick glance at the lower school parking lot and it is clear that most drivers agree. “I wish [I had a new drivers sticker] cause I don’t think people would be as angry at me when I screw up,” See said.

For some the issue is less driving and more the confusion of driving with parents and family members. The first time I drove my family it was to the golf course and my little brothers

screamed while wearing their massive baseball catching helmets for as they said ‘added protection.” “[I don’t like] When I’m driving with both my parents, they say different things and tell me different things to do, it’s crazy,” Micalizzi said.