Michigan teens will soon face rigid driving restrictions

Written by: Becca Waters '11

               Many teenagers feel that obtaining their drivers license is a right of passage. You’re granted a new found freedom along with an abundance of new responsibilities and the state of Michigan, along with quite a few other states, have decided to enforce stricter driving restrictions on new teen drivers.

                The restrictions will apply to 16 year old and some 17 year old drivers. The new limitations will include an earlier curfew and a confinement on the number of non-family member passengers allowed to ride in a vehicle operated by a new driver.

                As of now, the curfew for a driver with a graduated level two license, which is usually sixteen year olds, is midnight to five a.m. Under the new restrictions curfew will be 10 o’clock p.m. until 5 o’clock a.m.

As for the number of passengers, there is no limit now unless your parents have placed one for you, but the state of Michigan has not put a limitation on the number of passengers allowed to ride with a driver with a graduated level two license-until now. Under the new law new drivers, with a graduated level two license will only be allowed one, under age 2 or younger, non-family member passenger unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian or adult 21 or older approved by a parent. An exception is made for travel to school or school-sanctioned events.

                Lawmakers and the states former Governor Jennifer Granholm approved the new limitations in the fall. They're part of a nationwide effort to restrict dangerous teen driving. Studies show drivers ages 16 to 20 are the most dangerous on the road, and the risk of crashes increases significantly if they have other teens in their vehicles.

                The new restrictions will be effective around March 30^th.

                Nothing has been said as far as teen drivers who have there level three, operator’s license, which gives teens full driving privileges with no restrictions but you are still considered to be under the state of Michigan’s “probationary stage” so you will be monitored by the state until you turn 18 at which age you are able to exit the graduated license system.

                Sixteen year olds of Michigan are not the only ones who will have a curfew that begins at ten o’clock p.m.  Ten other states participate in setting a curfew of ten o’clock or earlier for teen drivers age sixteen and some states even have curfews at ten o’clock or earlier for seventeen year olds. 39 States, including Michigan when the restrictions take effect, allow only one non-family member passenger at some point through the graduated license system.

                The restrictions are not being placed in effect to peeve any new drivers but to make the roads safer and, in hopes, to make the new drivers of Michigan more independent drivers. Michigan teens have a few more months to take advantage of the midnight curfew and hopefully the summer won’t bring to much controversy to the table with the earlier curfew for new Michigan teen drivers.