Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 16, 1995 TAG: 9503160034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BREEA WILLINGHAM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Sixteen Patrick Henry High School students got into their cars, started the engines and began driving. As in any typical driving situation, they turned corners, stopped at stop signs and proceeded with caution in risky situations.
There's just one thing that makes this situation different: It wasn't real.
It was the simulated driving part of the school's driver education course, in which students get hands-on experience in the do's and don't's of driving. If Gov. George Allen signs into law a bill allowing 15-year-olds to obtain a learner's permit, these students may be able to get that experience eight months sooner.
Under the proposed law, teen-agers would be able to obtain a learner's permit when they turn 15 rather than at 15 years and 8 months, but they still wouldn't be able to get a driver's license until age 16. The law still would require that the student driver be accompanied by a licensed driver age 18 or older.
According to Allen's spokesman, the governor's hasn't decided yet whether he'll sign the bill. He has until March 27 to make a decision. If he signs it, Virginia will become the 29th state to allow 15-year-olds to obtain learner's permits.
The idea behind the bill is to give young drivers a full year to experience driving in all types of weather conditions. Some Patrick Henry students think the new law will give them time to develop sharper driving skills.
"I think it's a good idea, because I know I'm not a good driver and I need more experience. The best way to learn anything is to have good experience," said 15-year-old Shannon Harmon, a 10th-grader.
In addition to the 14 hours of simulated driving, Patrick Henry students are required to complete three hours of behind-the-wheel driving; six hours of observation, in which they ride with an adult to "see how it's done"; and 56 hours of classroom instruction.
The students are required to have a learner's permit to take the course.
Jeff Johnson, a Patrick Henry driver education instructor, said he doesn't think learning to drive eight months earlier would make much difference, but teens do need more driving experience.
"The three hours of driving is not enough to make you a competent driver. The class requirements and behind-the-wheel driving should be increased, such as five to six hours of driving with simulation," he said.
Johnson said he hopes the students will get more driving experience under the new law because young drivers don't get enough practice. He also said certain restrictions - such as a prohibition on night driving - should be placed on teen-age drivers.
"I don't think young drivers are careless; they just have a lack of time and practice," he said.
Statistics from the Department of Motor Vehicles supports Johnson's opinion that teen-agers aren't as careless as some believe.
The most recent figures - from 1993 - show that of the 790 fatal crashes in that year, 33 were caused by drivers ages 15 and 16. Drivers ages 21 to 25 caused 185 fatalities.
The statistics also noted that of the 120,265 nonfatal crashes that year, 6,778 were caused by drivers ages 15 and 16, and 33,792 were caused by drivers ages 21 to 25.
"Some 16-year-olds are more responsible than adults. They're not giving us enough credit," said 16-year-old Faye Casauay, a Patrick Henry 10th-grader.
Fifteen-year-old Cory Evans, also a 10th-grader at Patrick Henry, said not all teen-age drivers are reckless, and he's "sure some adults were reckless when they were teen-agers."
The students said they're eager to get their licenses so they can feel independent and not have to rely on their parents to chauffeur them around.
by CNB