Waiting For Your License

Last month, the CT DMV released a report showing a 62% drop in teen driving fatalities since the new teen driving laws were put into place in August of 2008. What the report fails to mention is the drop in numbers of teens going to get their license.

I remember, quite clearly, the day I turned 16. I was in line at the DMV in Waterbury an hour before they opened, studying to pass my permit test. And I was not alone. It seemed it was just the way things went...at 16, you got your Driver's License.

Today, this is not the case. Between the deteriorating economic conditions, fearful teens not wanting to be a part of the statistics, and the new teen driving laws, we are finding less and less 16 year old students in our classes and more and more 18 and 19 year old students in our 8 hour programs.

The Graduated Licensing program that Connecticut instituted in 2008 focused heavily on teen drivers, almost completely ignoring the adult driving population. One of the unintended consequences of these laws was the influx of teen drivers now just waiting until they turn 18. They think "I can't drive with my friends, I have to be home before 11pm, I'd rather just wait." Here is the problem...Good driving doesn't come with age. Good driving comes with experience. We need to make mistakes and correct them once in order to prevent them from happening again. This is what the Graduated Licensing Laws aim to do; give students the opportunity to get on the roads in the safest conditions possible and gain privileges as they gain experience. As soon as someone turns 18, these requirements go away. An 8 hour safe driving course and a passed DMV exam means a driving lesson. I speak to many 18 and 19 year old students whose license test is their first time behind the wheel...EVER! We are sharing the roads these people, whose experience and knowledge is quite obviously, limited.

If you are a teenager, or a parent of a teenager, don't wait. Get your license now. Even if you don't buy your own car, even if you still need mom to pick you up if the movie gets out at 11:30pm, at least you will start gaining the experience you need to be safe. Teen driving fatalities are down 62%, but in the next 2-3 years, you will see the statistic for driving fatalities for 18-21 year olds grow. All waiting does is move the graph. YOU NEED EXPERIENCE!

Until Soon...
BD