“Have you started driving yet?”

As a 16-year-old, this is a common question I’m faced with after I tell people my age. Usually, I politely reply with “no,” which is often followed by awkward small talk about school and the person’s own license test. Yet, the recurrence of this question reflects the pressure teenagers face to obtain their licenses as soon as possible.

Growing up, I couldn’t wait to be a high school student with the independence of my own car to take me anywhere I pleased. Movies I watched often portrayed high school as an age of freedom, where you can take yourself to the mall or go on late night drives with the windows down.

Marking the beginning of adulthood, driving is a common rite of passage and one of the first indicators of independence. It grants a sense of autonomy and allows teenagers to travel farther from home and to access new experiences that were previously out of reach.

But with this freedom comes rules and responsibility. My childhood romanticization of the freedoms that comes with a license did not account for the other burdens that come with adolescence. With the stress of classes and college applications looming over my head, high school is not quite what “High School Musical” — one of my favorite childhood coming-of-age movie series — portrayed it to be.

Now the significance of obtaining a driver’s license has shifted. Instead, it is a reminder that my adolescence isn’t permanent, and that adulthood is a landmark inching closer and closer from a once-distant horizon. For the past few years, the pandemic has stunted my perception of time. Everything has been moving so fast that I cannot believe I am eligible to wield the massive, metal contraption known as a car.

One intimidating aspect about being on the road is the uncertainty. Getting in the driver’s seat means taking control and constantly being alert to make quick decisions based on your surroundings. Just like growing up, it’s uncharted territory. While new opportunities to travel and explore open up with the ability to drive, it can be both overwhelming and unfamiliar.

A similar uncertainty lies in the future. Seemingly infinite choices are possible, yet you never know which of the ones you make will be fruitful, and which will leave you in regret for years to come. On the road, you are overwhelmed from juggling the flurry of coded highway signs, changing lanes and the menacing truck next to you.

I can still recall the first time I drove — a golf cart. As I learned how to use the brakes and steering wheel, I couldn’t bring myself to push the accelerator. This wasn’t like the bumper cars of my childhood; I could actually feel the roar of the engine shake the cart and the crunch of the gravel beneath me. Slowly pressing the pedal and moving at a snail speed down the narrow dirt path, I anxiously got off the road as soon as I could. This experience still remains the only time I’ve ever driven.

While my outlandish descriptions of the road may seem dramatic, ever since I was in preschool, I biked to school. Living in a very bikeable city, I never was reliant on cars growing up, though I looked forward to my romanticized expectations of getting a car. This contributed to my fears concerning the license process and driving in general.

If there’s one thing I hate more than anything, it’s good things coming to an end — most significantly, my childhood. Although I’m not a senior yet, I still yearn back for the easier times.

Despite the pressure to pass through that threshold right now, I’ll overcome this challenge on my own time. I’ve learned that when dealing with high expectations and an ever-intimidating future, realizing that it is okay to slow down and do things at your own pace is the first step toward your goals.

I’m still in no rush to obtain my permit and I’m coming to terms with my fears of growing up. Hopefully driving will be just like that: With experience, I’ll get more comfortable behind the wheel and feel more in control. At first I may encounter obstacles that require me to slow down, change direction or even pull to a full stop, but with practice I’ll learn to navigate and overcome challenges in my way.