“The rumor that you can’t get a driver’s license until you’re 18 is not true.
But state lawmakers might pass a bill that will take effect in January to put more limits on young drivers, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Titled Bill SB1329, it will require all California teen drivers to:
• have a driver’s permit for six months, not one
• have a parent’s signature confirming that the parent has trained with the student driver behind the wheel for 50 hours, including 10 hours of night driving
• avoid taking any teen passengers during the first six months of driving
• avoid driving between midnight and 5 a.m, for first year of driving without parental supervision
Teens will be required to follow these rules unless they are driving for school- or work-related activities, medical reasons or family needs (such as driving siblings).
State lawmakers are making these changes because teen drivers are reponsible for more than their share of accidents, according to California Highway Patrol statistics. While teens are 4 percent of all drivers, they are drivers in 9 percent of all fatal crashes. Drivers 19 and under are 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident.
The bill passed the assembly appropriations committee on August 28 and will be voted on by the assembly floor in late September. It also will need the governor’s approval. If it passes both groups, the law would take effect on January 1, 1998. “