ON A WEDNESDAY EVENING NOT TOO LONG AGO, FAUSTO RELIS LET HIS 16 YEAR OLD SON MARCO, DRIVE THEIR 1998 SUBARU TO TAKE HIS FRIEND DAVID NGUYEN (15) HOME AFTER THEY HAD BEEN PLAYING VIDEO GAMES. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TOTALLY ILLEGAL FOR MARCO TO DRIVE HIS FRIEND ON HIS PROVISIONAL LICENSE, MARCO'S DAD TOLD HIM TO BE HOME FOR DINNER.

MARCO, SPEEDING  NORTHBOUND ON THE SAN JOAQUIN (73) TOLL ROAD (WHERE EVERYONE THINKS TOLLS ARE A FEE TO SPEED) LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, CAME ACROSS THE DIRT MEDIAN AND STRUCK ROGELIO URIBE (43), HIS 6 YEAR OLD SON CRISTIAN AND HIS MOTHER MAGDELENA FLORES (28) HEAD ON.  FLORES AND HER SON WERE KILLED ALONG WITH MARCO.  URIBE AND NGUYEN ARE IN SERIOUS CONDITION.

THIS IS JUST ANOTHER TEENAGE ROAD FATALITY.  THIS TRAGEDY MUST BRING US TO REALIZE ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT PARENTS HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR KIDS ONCE AND FOR A LL AND END TEENAGE DRIVING UNDER THE AGE OF 18 (LIKE MOST OF EUROPE). 16 YEAR OLD DRIVERS ARE THE #1 SOURCE OF ACCIDENTS IN ALMOST EVERY STATE IN AMERICA.  IF YOU WOULDN'T GIVE A 16 YEAR OLD A GUN, WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU GIVE THEM A CAR, AND THEN ABROGATE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EVEN FOLLOW THE LAW AND LET THEM DRIVE ILLEGALLY (LIKE MARCO'S FATHER DID)?

PARENTS ARE AFRAID OF THE PEER PRESSURE THAT THEIR KIDS EXPERIENCE, AND ALSO DON'T WANT TO BE "BAD GUYS" AND OF COURSE, THEY DROVE AT 16 THEMSELVES!

DRIVING IS: JUDGMENT (THEY HAVE LITTLE OF IT)
                        EXPERIENCE (THEY HAVE NONE OF IT)
                        ATTITUDE       (THEY HAVE TONS OF IT)

MOST PARENTS DRIVE WITH LITTLE OR NO REGARD TO OTHER DRIVERS, AND INSTILL THIS IN THEIR KIDS.  MOST PARENTS BREAK THE LAW WHEN THEY DRIVE, AND THEN WONDER WHY THEIR KIDS DO IT.  IT'S "DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO."

OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS......EXCEPTIONAL TEENS, EXCEPTIONAL PARENTS.....BUT THE NUMBERS DO NOT LIE.  LETTING ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 DRIVE IS A HUGE AMERICAN TRAGEDY AND WE HAVE TO GET SERIOUS AT SOME POINT AND VALUE LIVES OVER CONVENIENCE.  GEE, WHAT WILL PARENTS DO IF THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO DRIVE THEIR KIDS AROUND?  IF YOU DON'T WANT THE INCONVENIENCE....DON'T HAVE KIDS!!!!!!!!!!

I GRIEVE FOR THE DEATH OF MARCO, CRISTIAN AND MAGDELENA AND WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL DIE TODAY BECAUSE PARENTS STINK.  OH.....I KNOW......NOT YOU.......YOU'RE A GREAT PARENT HUH? MY KID GETS GOOD GRADES.....MY KID IS A GOOD KID.....SO WAS MARCO, AND NOW HE'S A DEAD GOOD KID. AND HIS FATHER SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE FAMILY OF THE PEOPLE HE KILLED.  HE'S SUFFERING ENOUGH BECAUSE OF THE DEATH OF HIS SON? NO. THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THAT WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING!! PARENTS HAVE TO BE HELD LEGALLY LIABLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN.

PARENTS........I URGE TO RESIST LETTING YOUR 16 YEAR OLD DRIVE UNTIL THE MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN SAY THAT THIS KID HAS THE KIND OF REGARD FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE, AND YOU KNOW THAT THEY WILL DRIVE AS IF THEIR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT...NOT JUST HOPE THAT THEY WILL!!!

NOVEMBER 1999:
AMERICANS FAVOR TEENAGE AND SENIOR DRIVER RESTRICTIONS, STUDY SAYS
The majority of respondents an Insurance Research Council survey of a cross-section of Americans favors zero-tolerance laws whereby teenagers lose all driving privileges if they are caught driving with any alcohol in their bloodstream and closer monitoring of senior drivers, according to a press release.

Study respondents favor requiring annual vision tests for those 70 and older as well as annual road tests for those 70 and older, training programs for older drivers, installation of more left-turn signals at intersections, installation of bigger, easier-to-read signs, and mandatory annual physical exams for older drivers.

Other provisions supported by a majority of respondents of all age groups, including younger respondents, are graduated licensing, provisional licenses for drivers under 21, and night driving restrictions. Also, more than half (56 percent) of all respondents, and 41 percent of 18 to 24 year old respondents, favor requiring individuals to be at least 18 to get a license.

"Americans of all age groups are concerned about driving safety," said Elizabeth Sprinkel, Senior Vice President of the Insurance Research Council, "and they are in favor of new safety measures, even when their own privileges may be affected."

These findings are in IRC's report, Public Attitude Monitor 1999, and were based on a survey conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. The survey consisted of telephone interviews with 1,000 men and women 18 years old and older conducted in April and May 1999. Survey participants were selected to be representative of the population of the continental U.S.
 
 

More Details:
AL: The supervising driver must be a parent, guardian, or driving instructor. At age 16, permit holders may drive while supervised by any licensed driver.

 AZ: A driver-education instructor can authorize a student enrolled in driver education who is age 15 to drive only while supervised by the authorizing instructor.

 AR: Teens age 14 can drive with an instruction permit after passing a written test; after 30 days and after passing a road test, they are eligible for a restricted license that must be held for 6 months. Unsupervised driving is not permitted by holders of either the instruction permit or the restricted license. The combined holding period for the permit and the restricted license is 6 months.

CA: Students enrolled in driver education may drive while supervised by an instructor. License applicants who do not take driver education must wait until age 18 for a license. They are not required to go through an intermediate license stage.

CO: The supervising driver must be a parent, guardian, or driving instructor, and the permit holder must be enrolled in driver education. At age 15½, permit holders may drive supervised by a licensed driver age 21 or over and are not required to have taken driver education.

CT: Either driver education or home training is required for license applicants younger than 18. Applicants who have not completed driver education have a six-month learner's holding period.

 DE: A driver-education student does not need to drive with an instructor. After completing the on-road requirements of driver education, a student who is at least 15 years and 10 months may apply for a Driver Education Learner's Permit, which allows the student to drive while supervised by an experienced driver. Upon completion of driver education, and if the student passes both the road and written tests, the student receives a Level 1 Permit that, for the first six months, allows driving only when supervised. There also is a passenger restriction during the first six months of the level 1 permit. No more than two passengers are permitted in addition to the supervising driver. The Level 1 Permit for the second six months is the equivalent of an intermediate license. During that period, holders may drive unsupervised between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. and may only carry two passengers. Applicants for a driver's license who are younger than age 18 must have held a Driver's Education Learner's Permit and/or a Level 1 Permit for at least 12 months. Driver Education is required for all license applicants younger than age 18.

HI: License applicants younger than age 18 must have completed driver education.

 ID: License applicants younger than age 17 must have completed driver education.

 IL: Enrollment in driver education is required for permit applicants age 15; without driver education, a permit applicant must be age 17 and nine months. License applicants age 18 and older are not required to have driver education or to go through an intermediate license stage.

 IN: Driver education determines the minimum age for permits and intermediate license. People enrolled in or who have completed driver education must be age 14 to have a permit; otherwise, they must be age 16. The minimum age for an intermediate license is 16 and one month with driver education; age 16½ without.

 IA: In addition to the certification of the learner's stage, Iowa requires a certification of 10 hours of supervised driving, two of which must be at night during the intermediate stage. Driver education is required for an intermediate license and for an unrestricted license if the applicant is age 18.

 KY: The law prohibits learner's permit holders from driving between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. There is no night-time driving restriction for other license holders. License holders younger than age 18 must complete a four-hour course on safe driving within one year of receiving a license.

 LA: Driver education is required for a permit and an intermediate license if the applicant is younger than 17. Teens age 17 and older must have completed an educational program that does not require a behind-the-wheel component.

 ME: Driver education is required for a permit and a license if the driver is younger than age 18. The learner's permit holding period and the certification of practice driving applies to license applicants younger than age 21.

 MD: Fifteen-year-olds may drive if supervised by a driver-education instructor. Driver education and the certification of practice driving applies to all initial license applicants younger than age 21.

 MA: The night-driving restriction in Massachusetts also applies to to permit holders younger than 18, unless accompanied by a licensed parent or guardian. Driver education is required of license applicants younger than age 18.

 MI: Permit applicants younger than age 18 must have completed the first segment of driver education; license applicants younger than age 18 must have completed the second segment of driver education. Neither driver education nor an intermediate license is required for license applicants older than age 18.

 MN: Permit applicants younger than age 18 must be enrolled in driver education; license applicants younger than age 18 must have completed driver education. The permit holding period applies to license applicants age 18 and older unless they have completed driver education. License applicants younger than age 18 must certify 10 hours of driving during a 12-month provisional phase. Provisional license holders must be "crash free" to qualify for a full license.

 MT: Enrollment in or completion of driver education is required for permit applicants younger than age 15; license applicants younger than age 16 must have completed driver education.

 NE: 15 year-olds who live 1.5 miles or more from school and who either live outside or attend school outside a metropolitan area may be issued a learner's permit (called a "LPE permit") and a limited license (called a "school permit"). The LPE permit authorizes supervised driving for the purpose of preparing for the school permit, which allows driving to and from school or anyplace when supervised by a parent or guardian.

 NV: License applicants younger than age 18 must have completed driver education if it is offered in the public school or, if it is unavailable, must have completed 50 hours of driving in addition to that required in the learner's stage.

 NH: New Hampshire does not issue learner's permits. At age 15½ a teen can drive while supervised by a licensed driver age 25 or older. The initial license for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds is like a permit for the first 90 days. It does not allow unsupervised driving at any time.

 NJ: The permit becomes an intermediate license after six months. The graduated licensing law applies to adults, except that the night driving and passenger restrictions are waived for new drivers age 21 and older. If the applicant has not completed driver education, the minimum permit age is 17 and the minimum intermediate license age is 17½.

 NY: New York's licensing law prohibits all 16-year-old licensees and 17-year-olds without driver education from driving in New York City.

 NC: Learner's permit holders may not drive between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the first six months. Driver education is required for permit and license applicants younger than age 18.

 OH: Driver education is required of license applicants younger than 18.

 OK: Fifteen-year-olds may drive, but only when supervised by an instructor. Driver education is required for a license at age 16 if it is offered at the applicant's school district. A restricted license is available to 16-year-olds that allows daytime driving only, but it is not a required stage.

 RI: Driver education is required of permit and license applicants younger than 18.

SC: In South Carolina, the night-time restriction applies in the learner stage as well as in the intermediate stage. Fifteen-year-olds who are enrolled in driver education do not need a permit to drive with an instructor. License applicants younger than 17 who have not completed driver education may not get a license to drive unsupervised after nightfall.

 TX: The minimum permit age is 15 for applicants that have not completed the classroom phase of driver education. The minimum license age is 18 for applicants who have not completed driver education.

 UT: Regardless of age, permit applicants must be enrolled in driver education and license applicants must have completed driver education.

 VT: Driver education is required for license applicants younger than 18.

VA: Driver education is required for license applicants younger than 18.

WA: Permit applicant must be enrolled in driver education; otherwise the minimum permit age is 15½ month. Driver education is required for license applicants younger than age 18.

 WI: Enrollment in driver education is required for permit applicants younger than 18. Driver education is required for license applicants younger than 18.

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances (NCUTLO) drafted a model law that specifies three core provisions for a graduated licensing program: a six-month learner's permit phase; a six month intermediate, or provisional license phase; and restrictions on unsupervised nighttime driving for teenagers. States are not required to adopt the model law, but many use it as a model for their own legislation. Below are states that adopted at least one of NCUTLO's three core provisions. States marked with an asterisk (*) have adopted all three, and therefore are considered to have full graduated licensing laws.

In addition to the three core provisions, NCUTLO's model law requires that applicants for intermediate and full licenses have no safety-belt violations or zero tolerance violations, and to be otherwise conviction-free during the mandatory holding periods.

Notes:

² In Connecticut, an applicant may get an unrestricted license at age 16, 4 mo. upon completion of an approved driver eduction course; in New York and Pennsylvania, an applicant may get an unrestricted license at age 17 upon completion of an approved driver education course.

³ In Delaware, a driver education student does not need a permit to drive with a driver education instructor. After completion of driver education and if the student passes both the road and written tests, the student receives a Level 1 permit that for six months allows driving only while supervised, and for the following six months allows unsupervised daytime driving. If, after completing driver education, the student is unable to pass the road test, the student is given a driver education learner's permit that allows driving while supervised by an adult driver. The time the student holds the driver education learner's permit counts toward the 12-month holding period for the Level 1 learner's permit.

⁴ Sixteen-year-olds with provisional licenses have no restrictions on when or where they can drive but are subject to sanctions that do not apply to regular license holders.

⁵ Driving in New York City is prohibited; driving in Nassau and Suffolk Counties is limited.

Source: National Association of Independent Insurers, National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances.