Teen Driving
Getting the License
Many of today’s teens can’t wait to get that piece of paper with the cheap plastic on top, saying they are newly licensed drivers. But in New Jersey that’s going to be a little harder, since January 1, 2001 NJ has put into affect the new Graduated Driver License Program (GDL).
The GDL is a program that teens and first-time drivers must complete to get their unrestricted license. This program was designed to lower the number of driving fatalities among teens and first-time drivers in NJ. The teens and first-drivers having more experience on the road, they’ll be ready for any driving situation.
The GDL will affect anyone born in the birth year of 1985 and later, who apply for a permit. For people born in the year 1984 and earlier, you are very lucky, because this new law does not apply to you. Just as long as you apply for a special learners permit prior to the age of 17 through a state approved Drivers Education Course.
The steps to getting your license have gotten harder.
1. Special Learner’s Permit (Student Permit)
Age: 16 Cost: $10
Requirements:
· Pass Vision & Written test. (100 questions in Multiple Choice)
· Complete behind-the-wheel training through an approved program to receive a valid permit for a minimum of 6 moths of supervised driving.
· Obtain parent/guardian signature.
· Pass road test.
The Student Permit driver must be accompanied by a NJ Licensed driver, 21 years old or older and be at least licensed for 3 years. The permit driver must drive supervised for 6 months. They can have only have passengers from their home address plus one additional passenger. They may only drive between the hours of 5:01 am to 11 pm
2. Provisional License
Age: 17
Requirements:
· Complete Student Permit requirements
· Complete a minimum of one year unsupervised driving.
Driver can only drive between the hours of 5:01 am to midnight. Their passengers must have the same address as the driver except one.
3. Basic License
Age: 16
Requirements:
· Complete provision License Requirements
The Provisional License driver may drive longer then the hours permitted by the state if they can get a written waiver from their employer or religious authority.
Choosing the Right Car
Now that you’ve got your license, its time for your “ride”...
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..., the higher cost for insurance. For example a ticket for driving 20 mph above the posted speed limit will result in 4 points added to your driving record. Resulting in losing a $ 1,000 due to the insurance increase and state surcharge over three years.
Cost is also determined by your age, gender, where you live, how many miles on the car, and what type it is. For example if an 18 guy and 34 woman buy their insurance in NJ, him a 98 Toyota Celica with 45,000 miles, her a new BMW 530I, and both living in Ridgewood. The guy would pay more for his insurance because he’s more prone to have an accident with his sports car and he has less experience behind the wheel then she does.
If a teen gets his/her own insurance they would pay $ 1,800 for six months coverage. But, if they were added to their parent’s insurance policy, the policy would increase $ 600. However through the teen must be added to the parent’s policy within 60 days of getting his/her license, or the teen runs the risk of falling into a different insurance level, which translates into higher premium.
Remember that driving is a privilege not a right, so drive safely because it saves you money and a lot of lives.
Most insurance companies feel that speeding tickets make someone a higher risk. The adage is not a risk. So, to offset the risk, they raise the premium. Which means it is more expensive to obtain insurance for. If the insurance company decides to raise your rates by only ten dollars, it can have a lasting effect.
Through out the years teenagers have been driving without a license. In this century teenagers are decreasing to get their license (Teens getting their driver license. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from ). Teenagers tend to think that just because they know how to pump gas press the brakes and rea...
Also, studies show that the same bad behavior commonly seen in men in their twenties is seen in sixteen and seventeen year olds. Driving is a huge part of a teenager’s social life, too. They need licenses to attend school, work, or social events. So, a way to keep the driving age at sixteen and have better driving on the road is to have a graduated driver license. This GDL would make it so new drivers would gain experience driving under supervision of an older, experienced driver before they can drive on their own.
Being able to get your license at 16 should not be a given, it should be a decision made by parents if their child acts mature enough. Yes, it frees up the parents time and makes the teen more responsible but losing a child to a car crash is unthinkable. Enrolling your teen into a comprehensive driving program will give them to keys to be a safer driver.
Iowa Department of Transportation. (2010, December 1). “Under Age 18 – Iowa’s Graduated Driver’s Licenses (GDL).”
The Graduated Licensing Scheme (GLS) that prepares inexperienced individuals on the roads for a lifetime of safe, and efficient driving outlines that in order to graduate to a full licence, new drivers are obligated to have at least 36 months of driving experience and pass the three tests.
The day I got my license I was so excited to be able to have the freedom to drive whoever and wherever I wanted to. Then I remember I have to wait 9 months due to the restrictions that the State of Maine has. Even though most people think the 9 month restriction is reasonable, Maine should change the 9 month restriction for new drivers because 42/50 states allow at least 1 person in the car after getting your license for a varying amount of time, most teen drivers will break the 9 month rule anyways and Maine is the 9th safest state for drivers but has the 2nd most strict new driver’s restriction.
The history of driver’s education goes way back. The first known DE programs were developed between 1910 and 1920. However, it was not until the 1930s that formal courses were...
According to Kamenetz, “there was a 38 percent reduction in fatal crashes among the youngest drivers,” with sixteen-year-olds going through the classes that are needed to earn a learners permit (Kamenetz). If the law is trusting a sixteen-year-old to drive safely, Kamenetz believes they should also be able to vote.
According to federal driving license laws in the United States, the current legal minimum driving age to obtain a restricted driver’s license varies from state from fourteen years, three months in South Dakota to as high as seventeen in New Jersey. Many high school teens by this time are out and about in their vehicles, adjusting and learning the rituals of the road. But, it is also a time when many teens are at higher risk of danger due to many activities teens are bound to do at their age. From drinking under the influence, drug intakes that can affect mental and physical stability and result in mental performance, to the focus level when it comes to the cell phone usage while driving a two ton death machine. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens aged sixteen to nineteen than among any other age group. It is why insist that the legal driving should be increased at eighteen to twenty-one.
In the 1990's teens would get full licensing and all privileges with little of no testing at all. It wasn’t until 1995 when around twenty states required a learning permit but the system was still very weak, as in teens only had to keep their permit from two to three weeks. Bu somehow, teen drivers was not as dangerous as it is today. Experts say it is mostly because of deadly distractions in and out of the vehicle(Boulard 38).
One of the reason people say that the legal driven shouldn't be raised is because they think teens should practice at age of 15-17 so by the time they are 17 they will be ready to drive. This can be shown where the author writes, “ … how to drive around 14-15 easing they into gradually, and with supervision so that by the time they are 17 or 18… [and]... there some very young pro drivers.” (Eric, text-1) These quotes shows how they teens can be successful by training. But, guess what those people are wrong because driven is not all about training , it is also about your brain (how you react to things such as answering, text-messaging, and using phone during driven) and teens brain is not developed. This can be shown where the author states, “ a study done at the National Institute of mental health concluded that at the age of 16, the adolescent brain remains undeveloped in vital areas…” (Parker, text-2) This quote also shows that the author uses informative tone to show that teens brain is still not developed which is why the legal driven should be
Whether or not teenagers should be allowed to get their driver 's license at age sixteen is a known topic across the United States. One of the causes for this argument is the number of fatalities caused by young drivers. Evidence shows, “In 2012, 1,875 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 died in motor vehicle crashes and an additional 184,000 young drivers were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” (“Teen Drivers”). Most accidents are caused by young drivers. In the United States of America, citizens may receive their driver’s license at sixteen, if they meet the requirements. Some people argue that sixteen year olds should not be able to receive their driver’s license. Other people argue that sixteen
In addition to teenagers gaining independence and freedom with a license, parents also gain more freedom as well. Teenagers who cannot drive rely heavily on parents, siblings, and other people to chauffeur them around. Not only does this cost more for the driver, ...
don't pass the permit test so instead they drive on the street with parents permission. 6