More than 23,000 Virginia teenagers have taken advantage of a new state law allowing them to get their learner's permits as early as their 15th birthday. The law, which took effect July 1, lowered the permit threshold by eight months, but it kept 16 as the age for obtaining a driver's license.
In the law's first six months, 23,281 permits were issued statewide to teenagers 15 to 15 1/2; an additional 15,148 permits went to those older than 15 1/2 and up to 16, according to Jeanne Chenault, spokeswoman for the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Anyone who seeks a learner's permit first must pass a written test.
Virginia is one of 30 states that issue learner's permits to residents 15 or younger. In Maryland, the requirement is 15 years and 9 months. In the District, it's 16.
Proponents say Virginia's law, which cruised through the legislature last year, gives young drivers more time behind the wheel before setting out on their own. A licensed driver 18 or older must accompany anyone driving with a learner's permit.
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Norman Grimm, traffic safety manager for the American Automobile Association's Potomac chapter, said his agency sees "some merit" to the longer training period, which also allows young drivers to experience seasonal weather changes. "But we're not entirely sure it's the correct thing to do," he added. "It'll be a few years before we know whether this has paid off."
Nationally, drivers who are 16 and 17 are at least seven times more likely than older motorists to have an accident, Grimm said. He said 44 percent of all 16-year-old drivers are involved in a collision before their 17th birthdays.
AAA is backing legislation this year that would amend Virginia's driving laws in two ways: first, by raising from 18 to 21 the minimum age of drivers accompanying those with learner's permits; and second, by creating one-year provisional licenses for drivers younger than 18 that would prohibit them from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. unless they are accompanied by an adult driver or are commuting to or from work.
Maryland implemented provisional licensing in 1977. Since then, there has been a 5 percent reduction in crashes involving young drivers and a 10 percent reduction in traffic violations for 16- and 17-year-olds, according to the state Motor Vehicle Administration.
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