Graduated Licensing
One of the few vestiges of freedom available to teenagers is now in grave jeopardy with the widespread passage of various "graduated license programs".
Numerous states, including California, Illinois, and New Hampshire have already passed these draconian measures. Graduated license programs generally include a long period of supervised driving with an adult, a night driving curfew, a limit on teen passengers, freeway driving restrictions, and zero blood alcohol tolerance. Politicians everywhere are touting this as yet another magical panacea for an problem which simply cannot have an easy "band-aid" solution. It is no coincidence that politicians throughout the 50 states began proposing graduated licensing programs in great numbers during the 1996 election year.
This is yet another example of election-year politicking taken to the extreme at the expense of the rights of a politically unrepresented group. It is yet another example of fear-mongering used to push an oppressive agenda upon our nation's youth.
The easiest way to dispense with the arguments of graduated license supporters is to state the facts. Proponents of these measures essentially claim that teens are the only dangerous group of drivers. This is simply untrue. There are two groups of drivers which are much more dangerous than teens; the intoxicated and the elderly. I don't want to seem like I'm bearing down on the elderly, because I am not. I love them dearly. Unfortunately, supporters of these programs feel that it is completely alright for someone who can no longer see to be driving at 10 miles per hour down the highway. Very few states have any restrictions on elderly driving and whenever it is proposed, it is widely condemned as age discrimination. Yet, it is supposedly alright to discriminate against teens on the basis of age. Teen drivers are, in many cases, safer than elderly drivers. As a group, teens have faster reaction times than anyone older. Sadly, this causes some teens to believe they are immortal and they take unnecessary risks. The purpose of this article is not to defend poor teen drivers. In fact, this article is a defense of the good teen drivers. Secondly, while a good percentage of accidents involving teens are caused by intoxication, the percentage of drunk drivers that are teens is relatively small. Many older drivers continue to drive after their licenses have been suspended or revoked due to drunk driving. Some drive without any insurance. In some cases, these delinquent drivers even drive to their court appearances. No one seems to want to do anything about this. Without a doubt, drunk drivers evade their punishments more often than any other group of offenders.
Another unfortunate aspect of this problem is the greed of insurance companies. I have never had an accident or any kind of ticket. In other words, I have a spotless driving record. I have never taken driver's education courses. In addition to all of this, I am 18 and I have been driving for nearly three years. Yet, I still pay over three times the average insurance rate for other age groups. People in their thrties and forties which have had multiple accidents or tickets still have lower insurance rates than I do. This problem is widespread, and it is not an issue of driving at all. It is purely an issue of discrimination. If someone suggested that blacks were poor drivers and insurance companies increased the rates for black policy holders, there is no doubt that it would be widely condemned. In fact, any insurance company which attempted this would probably lose a large sum of money to lawsuits.
There is no denying that there is a serious problem in this country with poor drivers in general, especially drunk drivers. Unfortunately, programs such as zero blood alcohol tolerance for those under 21 do little to help the problem. Zero tolerance programs often list limits that are so low that over-the-counter cough medicine or even communion wine can lace someone over the legal limit. Drunk driving should be no more tolerable from someone who is 46 than it is from someone who is 16. Any reasonable strengthening of drunk driving laws should apply to all age groups.
I have heard that my home state of Missouri is considering a graduated license program that will not allow full driving privileges until the age of 20. It really makes me feel good to know that I can pay taxes through the nose and be drafted and then get killed or maimed in a war, yet not have the right to drive my car when and with what passengers I see fit. Had they enacted such a program in Missouri before I had earned my license, I would have been unable to commute to college. That seems to be a grave infraction on my civil rights. I am certain that my case is not unique.
Now is the time to stand up and be heard. Call or write to your elected officials and let them know how you feel. If you have a good driving record, let them know that too. Above all, don't let anybody argue with you about statistics. Statistics have been used to justify all manners of things, including slavery. Does that mean that it's right? In the case of graduated license programs, the ends simply do not justify the means.