Teen driving laws hurt low-income families

By: Freesia Singngam

Posted: 9/3/08

After a series of tragic deaths involving teen drivers over the past few years, the state passed stricter laws making it more difficult for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain a driver's license.

The new laws, which went into effect Aug. 1, were the most comprehensive overhaul of teen driving laws in 35 years, according to a press release from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The last major reform in teen driving laws was passed in the 1970s, when on-the-road training was added as a requirement for drivers' education.

While the new laws admirably put an emphasis on safety, the added hours of on-the-road training and class time for both students and their parents make it nearly impossible for some teens to drive.

Before the laws were passed, teens had to complete 20 hours of on-the-road training before obtaining a license. The number of hours is now doubled to 40 hours of training, and new permit holders must complete eight hours of a safe driver course. Parents or legal guardians must also complete a two-hour class with the permit holder on teen driving laws.

Drivers' education is expensive. In the 1970s and 1980s, drivers' education was often offered at public high schools. Now, because of budget cuts, those classes are no longer available in many cities, and teens must seek outside driving schools for drivers' education. In cities where there are drivers' education classes in the high schools, students may still have to pay a certain amount of money to take the classes.

The Academy of Driving, which has several locations around Connecticut, charges $535 at its Manchester location for a teen driving course and handbook, according to its Web site. For an off-site driving exam, it costs $125. With the added on-the-road training hours, the cost of drivers' education everywhere will only go up.

Many teens need to get jobs when they turn 16 and are eligible to work because they need to help supplement their family income or just need extra money for themselves. They need a way to get to work, and driving is a traditional way to do it. They might not be able to afford drivers' education now that there are added training hours, and this may prevent them from getting a job, adding to a frustrating cycle that doesn't bring in any monetary income.

Many parents have to work long hours to support their families and may not have time to take a two-hour course with their children. Some teens live with a single parent working multiple jobs. Some teens do not even have parents or legal guardians. In all of these situations, the teens involved probably need a license more than anyone else.

Yes, the teen driving laws needed to be stricter to avoid more tragic deaths, and the state saw this. On top of the new training requirements, there is an earlier curfew of 11 p.m. for 16- and 17-year-olds and added penalties for driving recklessly, under the influence, with too many passengers, talking on a cell phone or not wearing a seat belt. Also, police now have the authority to seize and suspend a teen driver's license for 48 hours for certain moving violations. The license will be held for 48 hours, and to get it back, the teen and his parent or legal guardian must go to the police department and sign a statement acknowledging that the license has been returned.

The added penalties for breaking driving laws are a step in the right direction because they punish the teens driving irresponsibly. However, the additional required training hours are too much for many teens and their families, and they punish the wrong people.