In the past, kids could get their driver's permits at the age of 14. Then at 16, as long as they had at least six months of permit experience, they could get a driver's license. No strings attached.
But all that is about to change. Beginning at the end of this month, teenage drivers will have to get a provisional license before getting an official driver's license. In addition to adding another stage to the process, there will also be more restrictions on licenses for teens.
If a teenage driver wants to progress from the permit stage to a provisional driver's license, they'll have to have a clean driving record. Provisional licenses are given on the condition that drivers have no traffic violations on record within six months of applying for the license. Another new addition is that a parent, legal guardian or employer must certify that teenage drivers have driven for at least 40 hours before a provisional license will be issued. And ten of those hours must be done in inclement weather or at nighttime.
"There's a lot of debate and conjecture about what 'inclement weather' is," said Duane Bannock, the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles. "Today, slushy could qualify for inclement weather. If your six months happen to be during the summer, maybe it could be during a rainstorm. Maybe it could be as dark as night as we could possibly could get within six months. So inclement weather is just not the best driving conditions, that's... the definition."
The provisional license stage takes at least six months. During this time, young drivers are not allowed to have passengers in the car unless a parent, legal guardian or someone who's at least 21 years old is in the car. The only exception for this is transporting siblings. So say goodbye to carpooling to practice or catching rides with friends to and from school.
But wait, there's more. Drivers with provisional licenses won't be allowed to drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult or if commuting to or from work.
While these changes may seem drastic, Bannock said it's just another step.
"What we are trying to do is we are trying to give the 16-year-old driver a driver's license that allows her to have limited driving privileges," said Bannock. "Kind of get their feet wet--which is the phrase we're using--for a minimum of a six month period...What we're trying to accomplish is putting a focus on driver training, driving education."
Juneau Republican State Representative Bruce Weyhrauch proposed legislation for the provisional licensing bill during the last legislative session. He said he came up with the idea after being contacted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
"I started reading more information about provisional drivers license and graduated driver's license in other states," Weyhrauch said. "The data I learned about on my own was fairly significant that those states that had implemented a provisional drivers license scheme experienced a significant decline in teenage accidents, deaths and injuries."
The Division of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing provisional licenses January 1, 2005.
Waiting for freedom on the roads
