Every year, many juniors at EHS obtain their driver’s licenses and a lucky few also get their own cars. However, the process to get can be very stressful.

When juniors turn seventeen, they take the dreaded road test at the DMV very early on their birthdays. While everyone is giving them birthday shoutouts on Snapchat, they’re sweating bullets in a line of other cars waiting to drive around cones. If they pass, then they get to go back to school and show everyone their license. Then comes the question, “What car did you get?”

From last year, junior’s cars varied greatly. From new cars to used cars to hand-me-down sibling cars, the parking lot of EHS is filled with vehicles that represent the upperclassmen of the school. 

Here are some examples of what the juniors actually got: three students have Jeeps (one wrangler and two cherokees), one student has a Toyota Tacoma, three students have Mazdas, and one student even has a Prius. Cleary, the juniors have a very diverse selection of cars. With the exception of Jeeps (because every high school seems to have at least five in a parking lot), the cars this year are very different compared to years previous. For example, many of the seniors seem to only drive BMWs, Jeeps, and pickup trucks.

The primary reason why more and more students are getting new cars as opposed to used ones is because of the updated safety features of newer cars. Most cars come with safety features such as blind spot detection or a backup camera. Safety is becoming better in cars, so naturally parents and kids want to go with cars that have these upgraded safety features. Despite the higher price of these cars, most of the time kids are using these cars to the fullest. Many juniors have jobs and sports teams that they play on, so the added convenience of a kid having their own car to get to and from these places and events makes it so much easier on their parents’ schedules. This is also why most parents are willing to pay partially, or sometimes even the full amount of their kid’s car.

Overall, this is a time in the lives of juniors and seniors where they are exposed to the newfound freedoms and responsibilities that come with driving. Good luck to the other juniors driving already or soon to be driving on the roads in the near future.