A couple of weeks ago, I had my driver’s license revoked for medical reasons. It came so quickly and unexpected. Yet, I knew that I would have to find ways to overcome this inconvenience.When a teenager acquires their driver’s license at the age of sixteen, it is as if all of their previous barriers have been lifted. The world is their oyster, and the only thing stopping them from conquering the open road is the price of gas. It is around this same time that parents tend to loosen their grip and allow them to have more liberties. Yet, few realize that something seen as so easy to get, can be taken away just as quickly. What was once an overlooked common convenience can now seem like the difference between night and day to someone without this capability.
Luckily, living in a place like Kennesaw, there are a good amount of transportation options available. The B.O.B. covers much of the surrounding area, but what about the rest of Cobb County? Fortunately the Cobb County Transit is available from the bus stop across from the science building. Getting to Atlanta via CCT Bus would be as easy as pie. Though, there were always going to be a handful of locations that were not going to be accessible by either of these modes of transportation, and that’s where Uber came into play. After a few days without a driver’s license, I began to wonder whether it was truly possible to live the same life in Kennesaw without a driver’s license, and surprisingly, I learned my answer quicker than I had expected.
Living in Cobb County without a specific mode of transportation is certainly a tad inconvenient, though it is still possible. Furthermore, there are a few small drawbacks that I had not taken into account until a couple of days ago. The lack of a driver’s license in Metro Atlanta does not necessarily mean that the person is completely out of luck. Yet, it does put a few constraints on them, like time, and the accommodation of being able to go anywhere at anytime.
I quickly realized that planning is everything. Initially attempting to plan my day and then find bus routes that would fit my specific time slots was clever at first. However, I soon realized that it is best to do quite the opposite. The bus doesn’t wait for anybody. You must plan your daily schedule around the times that the bus drops off and picks up.
After learning this the hard way, I finally arrived at my destination; Walmart. Thus, time was of the essence and I needed to pick up as many groceries as I could because I didn’t know when I would be able to go grocery shopping again. Ultimately, I ended up putting a lot of things back because, if they didn’t fit in my backpack, then they didn’t come. Public transportation is a tad inconvenient when it comes to buying the same amount of produce as you would fit in the trunk of your car. Thus, I learned to only buy the essentials that I couldn’t get at convenience stores within walking or biking distance of my home.
Now, many will ask why I didn’t have friends or family to drive me around, and the answer is simple. You can’t rely on other people constantly. Of course when rides are offered, they are graciously accepted. Though, I don’t typically go out of my way to ask people for rides.
Essentially, I took this drawback as an opportunity to not only improve my character, but to also get healthier by forcing myself to walk or bike everywhere. It is obvious that I wouldn’t want this to be the case forever, but for the time being, it has taught me not to take anything that I have for granted; no matter how big or small.
So is a driver’s license completely necessary in Cobb County? The answer is a firm no.
