Some local teens are upset with a new Ohio law that that puts restrictions on drivers under 17.
The law, which went into effect April 6, allows drivers under the age of 17 to have only one passenger who is not a family member. If a parent or guardian is with the driver, more passengers are allowed.
I understand what they're trying to accomplish and I think it will cause less distractions
but carpooling with friends is so convenient said 15-year-old Bethany Miller, an Athens High School sophomore who has a driver's permit but not a license.
There were 1,073 deaths from 1995 to 2004 involving young drivers in Ohio, according to the Ohio Teen Driver Coalition Web site.
The site also reports that the death and injury crash rates for teen drivers is 20 percent lower in other states with laws similar to Ohio's new restrictions.
Cpt. Tom Pyle of the Athens Police Department said he thinks too many passengers easily distract teenage drivers and that the new law will result in fewer distractions.
The law also prohibits nighttime driving for teens under 17 from midnight to 6 a.m. unless a parent or guardian accompanies them. Drivers between 17 and 18 cannot drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Teens driving to official school functions and to and from work, with documentation from employers, are exempt from the blocked driving hours.
Drew Payne, a 16-year-old sophomore at Alexander High School, said he hates the new restrictions.
It creates problems with carpooling and being able to drive around with my friends said Payne.
Payne's mother, Susan, said she is also disappointed that teens won't be able to carpool, especially after school and to sporting events.
In some ways it's good that the government is setting a curfew
but I also think that they're infringing on parental rights by doing so
she said.
Drew Payne said he often drives at night because he attends late-night movies and activities at Baker University Center. He thinks that setting a curfew should be left to a teen's parents.
Alexander High School junior Lealand Bachus, 16, is also upset about the restrictions on nighttime driving.
I think that if you're old enough to have a license
you're old enough to drive whenever you want
he said.
The new law prevents law enforcement officials from pulling teens over solely for driving with too many passengers; however, if drivers commit another offense, like speeding, they may be ticketed for violations of the new rules also.
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Janelle Huelsman
