The price of freedom might not be worth paying for some teens. Sophomores are at the age where drivers licenses become an option, the choice is up to students, take drivers ed now or wait until they are 18 to avoid the classwork.

“I’m getting my license through Aceable drivers ed right now, I just got my permit,” sophomore Hadyn Wennihan said. “It was awful trying to get my permit at first because my VOE expired and they yelled at me for not being able to see. It was a bad experience.”

Students get their license for a lot of reasons, but freedom is a common occurrence when asked why they want to drive.

“I want my license so I can go wherever I want without my parents,” sophomore Ava Hardin said. “They hate having to drive me everywhere. I feel bad for making them take me to so many friend hangouts and after school events.”

There are a lot of hidden fees that students forget about when planning for a license like gas prices and insurance statements.

“Having a car has emptied out my wallet frequently,” sophomore Malaya Paaske said. “It’s annoying to pay for insurance, but it teaches me to be responsible and I’ve begun to feel more grown up.”

Getting a license is a long process, the tests are made to be difficult and a lot of teens either fail or barely pass.

“I passed my drivers test by one point,” sophomore Alexis Wachner said. “It was hard to go to the DPS and get an appointment. After that I was pushed into difficult coursework and I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

Teenagers have wanted to drive since cars were invented, and freedom is one of the key reasons they feel the urge to hit the road.

“I can’t wait to be able to do stuff without my parents involved or being constantly chaperoned,” Wennihan said. It’s going to be way less awkward when I’m with friends and need a ride. I can’t wait to start driving, I’ve wanted it since I was little.”