Daughters and Driving

First of all, stay out of the eastern St Paul Metro area for, oh..., the next three or four years.

My 16 year old daughter just got her driver's license a week ago. Now she's responsible and all, but I am absolutely terrified! I pulled out of the driveway this morning to go to work and I see the mini van across the street and the left rear bumper is just crumpled. The first thought through my mind wasn't, "hmm I wonder what happend?", it was OMG that could by my daughter!

My thought wasn't a financial concern, (thought I have to admit it certainly is a concern), it really is around her safety. I have her driving a midsize suv, for both better road visibility and hopefully better saftey vs a car, but no one is safe on the road when facing one of those mountain sized suv's or a semi.

I clearly knew in the back of my mind that getting into an accident was a distinct possibility, well, probably certain event, but I don't think it actually hit me until this morning.

Makes my palms sweat now just thinking about it. Thankfully she is level headed and we have set expectations about her driving as well as new laws enacted in Minnesota that prevent a new driver from having more than one non family passenger for the first six months that they're driving, so I know she's as safe as I can make her.

But still....