Letter from Boston Parking and Licenses By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
駐車問題と運転免許証 雅子さんは17歳で自動車の運転免許を取得しています。しかし、何かと面倒なことが多いので、ここ数年は車より公共の交通機関を利用してきました。今週は車社会といわれるアメリカの車事情と、運転する以外の免許証の主な使い道をご紹介します。

Most of the American students I know in Boston don't own a car. Although they have had licenses since high school (I myself got mine when I was 17) and have been driving regularly since, Boston public transportation is convenient enough that the additional expense of a car is unwarranted. Indeed, far from being convenient, owning a car in the city can be a tremendous hassle. Getting insurance, fixing breakdowns, buying gas ― the dollars can quickly add up and overtake a student budget.

Granted, public transportation is not always the most efficient way of getting from point A to point B. Traveling even a mile could potentially involve numerous changeovers, each with a wait. However, service usually is dependable, and public transportation is often the cheapest way of traveling within the city. Nowadays, I take a free shuttle bus from a stop near my apartment to BU and I take a free T route back home. Barring riding a bicycle, it's the best way to commute to school.

One of the biggest hassles about driving in the city ― besides dodging jaywalking pedestrians and crazy fellow drivers ― is finding a parking space. Students who drive to BU often waste a lot of time trying to find a parking space on the streets. Even after they do, they have to fill the parking meter constantly so they won't get ticketed by the police.

There are many private parking lots around BU, but they are extraordinarily expensive. In many cases parking for a day can cost over $20 (¥2,520). If students dare to park in private lots, such as those attached to stores, they run the risk of having their cars towed away. They can later retrieve their cars, but only after paying the towing fees.

In places where owning a car matters the most ― the suburbs and countryside ― keeping it at home is no problem because most houses have garages. However in the city, finding a parking space after the workday is a big job. One of my ex-roommates regularly got parking tickets because she couldn't find a proper parking space near our apartment. She often parked in a spot for handicapped people, and each of the tickets cost her $30 (¥3,780). She used to ignore the tickets ― many people do, in spite of the fact that their license plate numbers are on record ― then she got called to court. Even after that, however, she kept on parking in the wrong places, and the authorities finally threatened to immobilize her car. They have a device called a boot that they attach to a car to keep it from moving. Fortunately, she was never given the boot.

Although owning a car in the city is a hassle, owning a driving license is crucial. It is necessary for buying liquor or cigarettes or entering a club. Unlike Japan, where liquor and cigarettes can be bought in stores and vending machines without any verification of age, in the States, stores can get into serious trouble if they are caught selling such products to minors. The driver's license is a form of ID that is accepted as proof of age. The legal age for specific activities not only depends on the activity, but also on the state that grants the license. But the date of birth stamped onto the license is considered legitimate. Fake licenses proliferate among underage students who wish to indulge in certain forbidden pleasures that have nothing to do with driving. However, it seems that authorities, especially in the city, are becoming tougher and smarter in dealing with them.

My current roommates are all above age, but since they don't have driver's licenses, they have to carry their passports around whenever they want to get drinks. This is a pain, not to mention a risk. I consider myself fortunate to have a license even though I don't use it for its official purpose. Having lived in this city and used public transportation exclusively for almost five years, I've all but lost my ability to drive. My driver's license is still valid, but it's hardly "proof" that I can drive. Nowadays, it serves only as proof that I am an adult. Although at times, I question whether it proves even that.

Shukan ST: Feb. 6, 1998

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