About two weeks ago as of the time of writing this, Dean Curry got on the microphone during Lion Block A in Querbes with a message from law enforcement: students need to drive more carefully. Hearing that made me remember my own driver’s test. I remember being surprised by how easy it felt. That raised a bigger question: if inexperienced drivers are causing problems on the road, shouldn’t we also be looking at the system that decides when they are ready to drive alone?
The statistics suggest we should. According to the CDC, drivers ages sixteen to nineteen have a fatal crash rate nearly three times as high as drivers twenty and older per mile driven. This shows inexperience is causing issues on the road and putting other drivers’ lives at risk. The DMV is supposed to decide whether we’re ready to operate a two-ton vehicle, yet they continually allow young drivers to cause significantly more dangerous crashes.
Research suggests that the license test has been too weak. A 2025 study of 455 new drivers attempted a comprehensive on-road assessment near the end of their permit period. About 84% made at least one serious error involving a traffic sign, signal, or lane marking. Despite these serious errors, 70% of these drivers received their licenses in only one attempt on the real test. Knowing the significantly higher fatality rate of younger drivers, seeing how many serious errors they make before getting licensed should be a clear sign that the current driver’s test is not doing enough to ensure that new drivers are actually prepared for the road. Passing the test should mean more than proving you can drive safely for a few minutes; it should prove that you can handle the variety of situations experienced drivers face every single day.
The DMV needs to make its driving test stricter and more realistic before giving new drivers their licenses. More demanding tests involving traffic, merging, lane changes, and unexpected situations would better prove whether someone is truly ready to take on the roads or not. Driving comes with serious responsibility for yourself and those around you; therefore, earning a license should require serious preparation. Let’s make our roads safer by ensuring new drivers are truly prepared to be on them.
