There is nothing teenagers want more than to be able to drive. After waiting 16 years, the first thing most students do on their birthday is apply for their permit test.

While many may think that driving a car is easy, they aren’t seeing the full picture; with the privilege of driving comes an additional responsibility to be aware of distractions, such as bikers. After the recent implementation of Connecticut General Statute Section 14-232, a program encouraging car drivers to “share the road” with bikers, both new and veteran drivers have become uncomfortable being on the roads.

Living in New England, one of the most scenic regions in the country, many drivers realize that our roads are just not prepared with enough space to allow both drivers and bikers. In many parts of Stamford (primarily in North Stamford), roads are barely wide enough to fit a single car. By adding bikers on both sides of the roads, the risk of getting into accidents is increased. In addition, this makes driving even harder for students who are just getting used to the roads.

Junior Alexis Reyes agrees. Reyes stated, “As a new driver, sharing the road with bikers can be really intimidating and distracting. It is already hard enough to drive on back roads, but bikers make it even worse.”

Bikers not only intimidate drivers, but they are also not held responsible if they get into an accident with a vehicle—which is extremely unfair. A majority of biking accidents are actually the biker’s fault; caused by a biker losing their balance, swerving into traffic, or driving in the middle of the road.

While bikers can be frightening to drivers on the roads, they also have nowhere else to go. The biking population consists  of many people who cannot afford other forms of transportation, so for some, biking is the only option. However, it creates an unsafe environment for not only the bikers, but also for the drivers.

Until separate roads are created for bikers, it seems that the only safe option is to prohibit them from sharing the roads with cars where bike lanes are absent.