Getting a driver’s license is a significant milestone for many teenagers and a terrifying one for many parents.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among adolescents in the United States and most developed countries.
Some scientists argue that many 16-year-olds lack the maturity required for safe driving. They point to research showing that adolescent brains are not fully developed, making them more prone to taking risks, getting distracted, and making errors.
Apparently, no one in the Iowa Legislature has seen that research because, as of July 1, they are allowing kids to obtain a Special Minor's Restricted License at the age of 14 and a half.
"They're able to drive to school and drive to work,” Steve Vernon, owner of AAAA Driving School in Davenport, told WQAD News 8. “It's gonna be riskier for everybody, nighttime driving, sports in the morning. They're inexperienced, I mean they're gonna get their license then two days later they're gonna be driving. It puts a lot more kids on the road during the summertime, that's for sure.”
Iowa isn’t the only state to allow younger teens behind the wheel. Fourteen-year-olds can already obtain a learner’s permit in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. However, no state allows teens under 16 to obtain a standard unrestricted driver’s license, and 37 states have increased the minimum age to 17 or 18.
Nine-Year-Old Superhero
A 9-year-old boy in Oklahoma didn’t need a driver’s license to get help for his parents after the family was in a serious crash.
In April, a deadly tornado outbreak left a trail of destruction across Oklahoma. Wayne and Lindy Baker were driving to a friend’s storm shelter with their 9-year-old son, Branson, when a tornado threw the family’s truck off the road and into a tree.
Wayne and Lindy suffered severe injuries, including broken backs, necks and ribs, but somehow Branson was able to escape the wreckage unscathed.
After reportedly telling his parents, “Mom, Dad, please don't die, I will be back,” he ran over a mile in the dark, navigating through downed power lines and debris, to reach the home of a neighbor, bringing him back to the crash site. The neighbor and first responders were able to rescue the Bakers, and they are expected to make a full recovery.
“The only way he found his way back was with lightning strikes that lit the road,” Branson’s uncle, Johnny Baker, told CBS News. “He ran as fast as he could, as hard as he could. He made a mile in 10 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a little kid.”
Cold Blast from the Past
Ice cream trucks have been a symbol of childhood joy for over 100 years, but they’re becoming harder to find these days.
Harry Burt of Youngstown, Ohio, creator of the Good Humor brand, equipped Ford Model Ts with primitive freezers and bells from his son's bobsled to create the first ice cream trucks in 1920.
In 1956, two brothers in Philadelphia founded Mister Softee, creating a soft-serve ice cream machine specifically for trucks.
Unfortunately, the fuel crisis of the 1970s put ice cream trucks out of business, prompting Good Humor to sell its fleet and focus on grocery store sales.
Today, Mister Softee trucks are still on the streets, along with a host of independent vendors, but despite so many options, the familiar jingle of the ice cream truck is becoming less common.
A recent Good Humor study found that nearly 70% of respondents noticed fewer ice cream trucks in their neighborhoods compared to their childhood, with two-thirds reporting that they would be upset if ice cream trucks became a thing of the past.
Steve Christensen, executive director of the North American Ice Cream Association, says that while ice cream trucks are indeed less common in neighborhoods, they still thrive at events like Little League games and festivals.
"I don’t think ice cream trucks will ever go extinct," he told USA Today. "They are something that's essential to our shared memories."
But, he said, like any business, "they need to change tactics on how they do business. Being parked or driving around neighborhoods isn't enough anymore."
To help keep the tradition alive, Good Humor launched the Neighborhood Joy Grant Program, awarding $100,000 in grants to independent drivers.
Mike Conway, vice president of Mister Softee, noted that while their 625 trucks now primarily serve events rather than residential streets, the core mission remains to “give people ice cream and make them happy.” RB
