My husband and I were shocked that our daughter had no interest in getting a driver’s license. It’s quite a different world though from the 60’s when we got freeways. When I learned to drive, we’d just gotten a new freeway, and most of the other roads had 35 mph speed limits. We had the state route that gave a bit of feeling like throwing caution to the wind- 2 lanes and a 50 mph speed limit, and lived on “dead man’s curve.”
Flash forward- I leave our gated community to take her to school. It exits onto an 8 lane highway. We proceed to a 7 lane freeway (that includes confused, out of state drivers.)
We exit onto a 10 lane highway which requires minimally 3 lane changes within a few hundred feet. I cringe every day I have to take her, plus she’s heard years of me scream about near accidents. I can hardly blame her. Then I discovered what insurance was going to cost. It’s a bit of a kick for her to drive around the gated community though.
Yes, I suppose we live in different worlds from the youth of today. My first car at age 18 was a 1949 Oldsmobile and I loved to roar down the highway in it (that car with its straight-8 engine could really move). I loved the freedom of the road and feel sorry for those who are growing up with the lack of that experience.
I cannot relate to today’s youth at all, for two reasons: 1) I have no childen, for which I give heart-felt thanks every day, and 2) I have no friends that have children, and that’s not a disappointment, either.
Those highways you drive on sound like the Highways from Hell and I can understand your daughter’s reluctance to drive on them. I much prefer my rural two-laners.
“We exit onto a 10 lane highway which requires minimally 3 lane changes within a few hundred feet. I cringe every day I have to take her, plus she’s heard years of me scream about near accidents.”
How do you like Dallas? :)