Being able to drive is very freeing. I got my car, an Acura RDX,  in January, a month before my 16th birthday. 

I was very surprised, because it was just a random Saturday. My aunt and cousin came over to our house to drop off some food, and we were all talking in my living room. My grandmother called me, which was very unusual since she never calls me.

I picked up the phone, and she told me to walk outside. I walked outside and didn’t see anything, and then I looked around my house to see my new gray Acura RDX, with a big red bow on top of it. 

I ran over to it and I just stood there looking at it because I couldn’t believe I actually got a car. Finally I got behind the wheel and drove it around my neighborhood with my mom in the passenger seat. It drove so smoothly and it was a lot different than my mom’s Suburban. 

After a month of having a car, my birthday had finally rolled around. I had to get up early in order to get down to the DMV in time. I got there super early and had to wait about 30 minutes in order to take my test. Finally, the time had come to take it. The instructor got in my car and told me my first task was to parallel park. 

I had gone down to the DMV the weekend before my test to practice parking, so I was ready for this part of the test. After I successfully completed the parallel parking, I had to back into the parking spot.

This was very easy for me and I got a perfect score. Next was the road portion of the test. Everything went smooth until I had to make a left turn. I made the left turn, but my instructor still took two points off of my score.

Finally I got back to the DMV and we got out of the car and my instructor told me I passed. I was so excited and ran over to give my mom a hug. I got all of my paperwork filled out after I passed my test and my mom let me drive home. 

I had to get ready for school and then I could drive myself to school. I was so excited to be able to go by myself. 

The first time driving by myself was a strange, different feeling, and I made sure to be careful on the roads. 

Life for me is a little bit different now that I can drive. If I want to go out with friends, I can drive myself to go hang out with them. I also have to take my sister, Ellie, who is in eighth grade, to school every day, and I have to take her home most days of the week. 

Being able to drive has also helped out my parents. They never have to pick up or drop off me and my sister, and I run a lot of errands for them. 

Being able to drive has impacted my life for the better.