It’s happened to everyone: you’re driving along the road and all of a sudden, bam! You’re cut off by a car, and on the back, there is the dreaded sticker reading “New Driver”. As most drivers 16 years and older can attest to, finally passing the dreaded test and receiving your license is one of the best and most memorable milestones of all time. Driving presents a new sense of freedom like no other, freedom to go where you want, whenever you want. But while earning a license is a freeing feeling, actually having a license grounds one in reality. Other cars speeding around is scary, and people making rash decisions on the road can put you and others in danger.

With all of these dangers present, one would think it would be a difficult processes to obtain a license, right? Wrong. Currently, Illinois law dictates that a new driver must complete 60 hours of classroom time, 5 hours of driving with an instructor, and 50 hours of driving with a parent. All of this may, at first glance, seem excessive, but Illinois driving requirements skip out on one crucial factor: experience. While 60 hours of classroom time may seem great, in reality it is nothing compared to on-the-road experience. Drivers learn only basic ideas in a classroom, with these ideals only slightly coherent as they drive the 5 required instructed hours, and then all of a sudden, they are out on the open road by themselves. New drivers who are unprepared and scared of the road and parking lots present a large danger not only to themselves but also to others.

Experience is the true teacher, and actual experience behind the wheel trumps classroom time in creating safe drivers and a better driving experience for all.