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"I think they're stupid!"

This was the from-the-heart answer that I received from my son (that just started driver training last weekend) when I asked him what he thought about the new, stricter laws for young drivers in California that came into play just a few years back.

Then, after the "uh-oh, she's going to write about this" look of realization came across his face he added, "But it's probably actually smart because when teenagers first learn to drive they are all crazy, and then, after a while, they calm down. And it would be bad if they got a ticket and had to go to traffic school, right?"

I smiled at that answer. You have got to give the kid credit for trying.

"So what do you really think of the new laws?" I asked him.

"They're totally stupid!" he replied.

Becoming a licensed driver for those under the age of 18 already required jumping through quite a few hoops. Just to get a permit to drive, a young driver must complete 30 hours of classroom driver training, after which they must pass a written test. Once they have their permit in hand, it will be another 6 months before they can apply for a drivers license. But sitting idle during this time is not an option. In that 6 months, the new driver must complete at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training from a DMV licensed school and another 50 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction from any licensed driver, 25 or over.

More than likely, if you are the parent or guardian of the young driver that means that you have just become an official driving and traffic school instructor.

If doing donuts in the parking lot of the mall in the early AM with your new driver makes you a tad nervous, perhaps I had better not mention that 10 of those 50 hours of additional training must be completed at night.

Then, after they pass the dreaded written test and the always nerve-racking behind-the-wheel exam at the DMV, the license that they receive has strings attached until they are 18. The license is called "provisional"; which in DMV-speak means, "If you mess up, even a little, we will take it back so fast that it will make your head spin - and one wrong move and you'll be sentenced to juvenile traffic school which will put a serious crimp in several of your beloved Saturdays."

Here is where the newer laws come in which are, no doubt, adding to teen angst throughout California. For the first 12 months that they have their license, a driver under 18 cannot drive between the hours of 11:00 PM-5:00 AM. Previously the law stated that they could not drive from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM, with the restriction only lasting for 6 months.

The real whining, though, comes from the other updated provision. Now, new drivers cannot drive passengers under the age of 20, unless there is a licensed driver in the vehicle 25 years of age or over for an entire year after they first get their license, not just 6 months as before.

This effectively destroys all hope of joy-riding in the wee hours with your buds after you become a legal driver-for quite some time. Even better news for parents; a new driver can drive a little brother or sister around without penalty as long as they carry a signed parental note.

This was news that was especially thrilling to my about-to-be driving teenage son.

As a traffic school teacher and mother of a new driver, what do I think of the new laws?

They're smart. Totally smart.

~

About the Author:

M. Pearl has been a traffic school owner and instructor since 1994. Her company, InterActive! Traffic School Online currently offers programs to traffic violators in 6 states, including a Florida Traffic School Online.
Her column on automobile driving is published weekly in newspapers of the various publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

In addition to being the featured columnist for the online publication NewCarBuyingGuide.com, Ms. Pearl's work has also been featured in Mazda's Zoom-Zoom magazine and the International version of Auto Club Magazine.