Teens spend many years walking from place to place or having to rely on parents with busy schedules.
Could having a license change how much freedom a teen could have?
After the school day, teens without licenses are forced to walk home, take the bus, or wait for their parents to be able to take them home.
Madison Valli got her license at 15. Before that, she spent every day after school walking home or taking the bus, and on weekends, she had to rely on parents to take her places.
Parents work late or don’t have the time to bring their kids places they want to go.
Having a license gives teens more freedom and makes them more independent.
Allowing them to get from place to place on their own schedule.
“It gave me the ability to get myself to and from places,” Valli said.
With a license there are so many more possibilities to go out and do things.
Like going to shops downtown in Coeur d’Alene, the mall in Spokane, or hikes on Rathdrum Mountain, where Valli and her friends take their dogs.
It can also open up better job opportunities for teens who want or have jobs.
For Brielle Webster, having a license makes having a job easier.
Not having to rely on other people to get her to her job on time.
Being on time is crucial to having and keeping a job so they know you are reliable.
“I don’t have to worry about when someone can take me, I can get there on time,” Webster said
She becomes more responsible and independent with a license.
Having a license doesn’t only affect the people who have them but also their friends.
Mia Brown and Jenna Hollis are both friends of Valli and Webster.
“Before I’d sit in my room on my phone, now I can get out and do stuff,” Hollis said.
She’s able to do more after school, like hanging out with friends, instead of feeling trapped in her home.
On the buses, kids of all grades are packed together, yelling and making it anything but enjoyable.
Brown was one of those people who would suffer the packed bus to and from school.
Which, for Brown, was the worst part of her day.
“Now I don’t have to ride the terrible bus,” Brown said.
Now they have the option to get a ride home in a car with friends blasting their favorite music, making the day better after a draining day of school.