ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Becoming a safe driver is an essential part of many young people's lives, but it's also a challenge that comes with some hurdles.
Now, the Anne Arundel Public Library Foundation has a way for new drivers to gain hands-on driving experience, and WMAR got an inside look at the library's solution to the problem.
A driving simulator has been installed so that new drivers can test their driving skills.
There we met Kayla, who is 18 but doesn't yet have a driver's license.
“It's really nerve-wracking for me,” she explained.
This is an issue for many novice drivers, but she has found a way to ease into the perk.
She's taking advantage of the new simulator at the Michael E. Bush Annapolis Library, and after a little instruction from librarian Gabby, she takes off running…and soon she's running off to the side of the road.
But with this car, all she had to do was press the restart button, and she quickly gained the confidence to master safe driving skills.
According to the Anne Arundel County Vision Zero data dashboard, 12,509 crashes were influenced by human behavior, such as inattentive or impaired driving or speeding.
However, Kayla was too nervous to make the trip.
“I'm scared of something bad happening. I feel like we should be more worried about how to prevent it when there are so many precautions we can take,” Kayla said.
The simulator provides just the kind of practice librarian Gaby Norton hoped for when she proposed it after seeing the positive impact the device had at another library where she worked.
“They got it as part of an opportunity to give people jobs and employment opportunities and further enrich the community. And I thought that was pretty cool!”
So she thought she might be able to take advantage of a grant from the Library Foundation, whose goal is to give young people opportunities they might not have otherwise.
She said the cost of courses for new drivers can be quite expensive.
“In some areas they're charging over $100 an hour. I don't know how anyone can afford that these days,” Norton said.
Plus, the practical skills drivers acquire here in a risk-free environment will help new drivers ease into the driver's seat.
“Especially for people who have a lot of driving anxiety, this really helps with driving at dusk, during the day and at night, which is something that all new drivers are very scared of,” Norton added.
It offers rural and urban environments and also features a drink driving simulator.
But today, Kayla is practicing some of the surprises that can happen on a country road, like a deer running out onto the road.
“It just seemed more real to me. Like, this is what I'm going to do. Like, this is scary,” Kayla said.
She also said she learned the relationship between how hard she pressed on the gas pedal and how fast the car was moving, a valuable real-world lesson.
“Actually, I learned something. I feel like I know a little bit more.”
She said it was good to be here actively practicing her skills in preparation for the real thing.
The device, costing $13,000 and paid for entirely by the Anne Arundel Public Library Foundation, will be available whenever the library is open.