<p>First, in my state, Vermont, the laws are even a bit stricter than some I am reading here. Once you get your license at sixteen (after one full year of driver’s permit, driver’s education course and 40 hours of driving, all of which my kids did), the first three months of the license, you can’t drive ANY passengers (no mention of relatives here) unless there is a licensed driver over 25 in the car, and the second three months, you can drive a relative. So basically, this means the kid driver can’t drive any other kids, unless you are in the car with them for three months and then can take only a sibling for the next three months. So, for instance, the first three months my oldest D had her license after turning sixteen, she could not even drive her sister to school and we had two cars going to high school, because that was the law. My kids were NEVER EVER allowed to drive any other kids until the first six months were up. Further, they were not allowed to ride as a passenger in a car driven by another kid who did not yet pass that six month mark (and even AFTER that, they had to have my permission which was on a case by case basis as to who was driving, how many in the car, how far, etc.). </p>
<p>I can’t begin to tell you how many kids and parents did NOT follow this law! Shocking on the parent end! I think this law is a wise one. New teen drivers need time to become experienced without the added distraction of other peers in the car. Add to that the RESPONSIBILITY of others in the car…huge. Other parents right and left let their kids drive others during this six months but my kids could not go in their cars and they knew it. Another thing is (though this is not the most important reason of course) but if a kid were stopped for some other thing like speeding, they could lose the license for having other kids in the car too. I recall one time we dropped D2 off at best friend’s house nearby and that friend already had her license but not past the six month mark. The plan was that later on, her parents were gonna drive them to the local theater to see a show since my D could not be a passenger in the kid’s car. So, we went out to dinner and lo and behold, we see best friend’s parents at the same restaurant. As it was close to the time that the kids were to have gone to the show, I asked them if they were stopping home to drop the kids off at the theater as was my understanding and they said, “oh no, ‘their daughter’ would just drive them to it.” to which I said, “sorry but my D can’t ride in her car as your D does not have the license that allows for that. I thought you were taking them.” They had no qualms about it (it was only two miles away) but I simply said that our kids must follow this rule and I rushed to the phone to reach my D at their house and she said she was just about to call to tell us that the parents were not taking them as she thought and she knew she could not ride in BF’s car so we got them and took them. It is hard when the kids see these other parents not following the LAW, no less, let alone willing to take this risk. Luckily my kids followed this and we certainly said we did not care if others were so foolish, but we were following it and as I mentioned, our own D could not even drive her sister for 3 months! </p>
<p>Fast forward…my sixteen year old (D2) got her license last January. Two months later, she was in a very serious accident like one of the ones described here…inexperienced driver on the interstate going 65 (speed limit here)…in fact, because we would not yet allowe her to drive to the city she was going to, she was only driving one exit to leave her car and meet with friends who had a license way longer (the kind that lets you have passengers) to go there…so here we were trying to be strict no less…so anyway, she was distracted right after getting on the interstate (can you imagine if you are distracted if alone in the car, the ADDED distraction if you also have friends in it???), and looked down and when she looked up, she was veering toward the guard rail and tried to steer away and lost control of the vehicle which then crashed head on into the mountain rock ledge and flipped over 2 1/2 times and landed on its side in the middle of the highway. Thankfully she did not hit or injure anyone else and also had no passengers as she was following that rule. But my own child was severely injured. She was a lucky one. She LIVED. I can’t fathom if she had not but it came close. This experience was horrific enough. She has been to you know what and back. She IS back. SHE has a second chance at life, many do not. A girl in this region had a similar thing happen the following week that I read in the paper and did not make it. How other parents are willing to add even MORE risk by letting their kids have peers in the car or ride with those who have provisional licenses with passenger restrictions, is beyond me. Look at what happened due to distraction, plus inexperience to some degree without adding passengers! A split second in judgement is all it takes. Don’t also add poor judgement to the parts you can control (passengers, breaking the law, etc.). I do not wish this on anyone! And this is from someone who was FOLLOWING the rules and who was not even going to be allowed to drive the whole way to where she wanted or with others in the car and thus was going a short way so that she could follow our restrictions and switch vehicles to go to where she was headed. And we still cannot avoid these horrific things.</p>
<p>You are doing the RIGHT thing to at least have your child follow the rules/laws, and any added restrictions you place on them. My kids also have to call every time they reach their destination and every time they leave it to get to the next one or to the house. In fact, now that they left for college, the BIG adjustment for me is to not know their every move like I did when they were home and when they drove. </p>
<p>I don’t care what other parents do. Many break this rule, but my kids knew we did not. Many let their kids go to parties when no adult is home. We call and ask and have rules about it. I don’t care if the other parents don’t check on this stuff. It is my kids’ lives I gotta worry about and you know, my kids knew this was the way it was. This is not something to bend on cause everyone else’s parents are. </p>
<p>Again, don’t add distraction of friends in the car for a new driver who already is inexperienced and can be distracted even if alone in the car. My kid is but one example. It has been a horrible experience. Thankfully she is here to tell it. Thankfully, she has recovered. Don’t add more risks to what already are risks in the first place. And you know, you have the LAW on your side…point to your kid that this is the law and we don’t break laws. No questions.</p>
<p>Susan</p>