Why Change What Already Works?

If we already have a year of permit practice, a more difficult road test is simply unnecessary.

Parallel parking is considered by most students to be the most difficult part of the driving test.

D.C DMV

Parallel parking is considered by most students to be the most difficult part of the driving test.

  Why would one fight for a harder drivers test when that would cause even more delay for new drivers to kickstart real practice on the road?

  If drivers with their permit fail multiple times on a harder driving test, they will not be able to practice as much before college. Each time one fails, two more weeks are needed until they retake their test. 

  68% of high school students in New Jersey choose college as their next step. Many college students do not bring their cars to the chosen school, so the time at home is imperative to master driving. 

   Most importantly, there is simply not a pressing need for a harder drivers test because of the time required by the New Jersey permit. Under a New Jersey permit, most acquire their permit at the age of sixteen, leaving them a year of practice until their next birthday. 

    That year of practice should account for enough time to get acquainted on the road, learning the ins and outs of a vehicle. What cannot be taught through your permit, however, is the lack of support or instruction from someone else in the car; this can only be done through a license. 

     The fatal accident rates in New Jersey compared to Pennsylvania support my theory. Pennsylavnia’s fatal accident rate in 2022 stood at 1,190 while New Jersey’s equaled 671. Not to mention, 2 million of Pennsylavnia’s 12.9 million residents reside in cities, and do not use cars as a primary form of transportation. This makes the population of Pennsylvania and New Jersey who drive as their means of transport almost equivalent in their competency. 

     Concerning New Jersey’s compact population, the numbers speak for themselves. The practice that comes with a year of permit driving does not require a harder test, proven by the comparative fatality rates of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

  If we already have a year of permit practice, a more difficult road test is simply unnecessary. The only effect that a harder driver’s test would have is a less practiced driving population.