State: Limits steam young drivers

Because fewer teenagers are crashing cars since Florida restricted their nighttime driving privileges five years ago, state auditors now are suggesting another restriction:

Limiting how many teens can ride in a teenage driver's vehicle.

Ten other states already do this; teenagers, naturally, hate the idea.

"You've got to be kidding," said Jason Goff, 16, who was hanging out Wednesday night at Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg. "How can they do that? That's never going to work."

It remains to be seen whether state lawmakers make any changes.

Florida law forbids 16-year-olds from driving between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 17-year-olds between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless they're with adults or driving to or from work.

Fifteen-year-olds with learner's permits can drive with adults, but only between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.; after three months, the time is extended to 10 p.m.

Teens generally think the law is unfair, unnecessary and impractical.

Nonetheless, the law has made a difference, according to a report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, an independent auditing arm of the state Legislature.

State auditors found that the crash rates for teens dropped after the law took effect in 1996.

"Our goal was to reduce crashes. Guess what? It worked," said Sandy Lambert, director of the state's Division of Driver Licenses. "I think the figures speak for themselves."

The crash rate for 15-year-olds was cut in half between 1995 and 1999, the report said.

Crashes among 16- and 17-year-olds steadily dropped for years but then went back up again in 1999 for unexplained reasons. The 1999 crash rates resembled those from 1996, and state officials aren't sure why.

State auditors recommend taking the law a step further. They say the Legislature should consider limiting the number of teenage passengers allowed in a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old driver's vehicle, to cut down on distractions.

"Our research shows that the presence of teen passengers in vehicles driven by teens increases the risk of crashing," said Becky Vickers, chief legislative analyst with the state's auditing office.

Some states don't let teens have any teenage passengers for their first six months of driving unless they're with an adult.

Other states don't let teen drivers have more than three passengers under the age of 21.

Two years ago, an insurance-industry group called for similar restrictions in Florida, but the idea never caught on in the Legislature.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is researching whether other states' restrictions on teen passengers have had any effect on the number of accidents, Lambert said.

Many teens think such laws infringe on their rights.

"I don't think it's right," said Sophorn Le, 18, a senior at Dixie Hollins High School. "If you're old enough to drive, what's the difference?"

Leigh Wallace, 16, said many teens -- and their parents -- pay little attention to the driving curfew.

"If I go to a 9 o'clock movie, I get home too late," Wallace said.

As for limiting the number of teens in a car, she said it would just force groups to take more cars.

For police officers, enforcing the teen driving curfew always has presented a challenge.

"Sometimes, especially at night, it can be hard to tell how old someone is," said St. Petersburg police Lt. Tom Carey, head of the city's traffic squad.

The current driving curfew became a law by barely dodging a veto. Florida was the 10th state to limit night driving for motorists under 18. Violators face a $52 fine and three points on their license.

The late Gov. Lawton Chiles allowed the bill to become law without his signature and said afterward that it was a close call.

Chiles was worried about putting restrictions on teens who may not have done anything wrong, but he kept hearing from parents and groups concerned about youths being out late.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk