By Bella Ghile
Getting your license is so much more than being able to drive by yourself. It’s a step towards freedom and independence. And not to mention, you don’t have to ask your parents to take you to places.
These are the few qualifications necessary to get your license: a permit, completing Driver’s Ed Classroom course, participating in the parent-student conference, taking Behind-the-Wheel, and finally appearing in court.
If you’re like me, a Junior, you've already completed everything but the Behind-the-Wheel course, because you didn’t get the pink slip. It’s a very common situation, especially during COVID because we’re not physically in school, but can be easily dealt with. All that has to be done is to contact the school, and they’ll be able to arrange the slip for you and have it ready to be picked up on the same day. Of course, after you’ve adhered to the necessary 45 hours of supervised driving, then sign up for Behind-the-Wheel. Typically the school offers this course, but due to COVID it’s unavailable. Instead, you can use local driving schools, like the AA Driving Company. You can find out more about them at https://aadrivingacademy.net/. You’ll be required to wear your mask at all times to ensure the safety of others and you.
If you’re entirely new to the driving process, here is the information for you. You can get your permit once you're 15 and 6 months, and if you use this site to study, https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmv-manuals/#/sections/manual/1, you’ll be able to easily score a 100! But due to COVID, you must schedule to have an appointment 90 days prior to going to the DMV, using this site to schedule: https://vadmvappointments.as.me/schedule.php?calendarID=3871953. Once you’ve secured your permit, you must practice for 45 hours, but it’s really not necessary, nor will you be asked to show proof of those hours, just be comfortable with driving. And through school, you’ll be able to complete Driver’s Ed, and you can get your pick slip from Mr. Ayoub. But, there’s a catch. You have to be 16 and 3 months to get your license, so if you’ve done everything, you might have to wait, but it’s worth it. Enjoy your freedom, young drivers!