Malia Obama Turns 16, Plans To Hit The Streets Of D.C. Soon

Malia Obama has celebrated her patriotic birthday, and now the 16-year-old is ready to hit the streets of Washington, D.C.

Just don’t expect mom to go along for the ride.

The oldest daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama turned 16 on July 4, making her old enough to legally drive in the District of Columbia. Michelle has said that her daughter plans to get a learner’s permit and start driving as soon as possible, though it won’t be mom or dad teaching her.

Instead, those duties will fall to the men and women tasked with keeping the First Family safe.

“I think our [Secret Service] agents don’t want us driving with teenagers… Especially the president’s detail,” the First Lady told USA Today earlier this year. “I don’t think they want him in the state when she’s learning how to drive. We will fortunately be able to hand that responsibility over to someone else.”

As The Inquisitr noted earlier this year, Malia Obama has already had some tense moments on the road. In the spring a man was arrested for following the presidential motorcade near the school where the girls attend to a restricted area at the White House.

Malia Obama has grown up before America’s eyes, from a bright-eyed 10-year-old when her family first moved in to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009 to the now 16-year-old ready to set out on her own.

Though both Malia Obama and her younger sister Sasha have been kept away from the media — neither has given a public interview in the last six years — Malia is starting to find her own way. The Wrap reported last month that Malia was in Los Angeles working as a production assistant for an upcoming CBS sci-fi drama Extant starring Halle Berry.

There was no word on how Malia Obama celebrated her 16th birthday, or just when D.C. drivers can expect to see her leading the presidential motorcade through Beltway traffic.