Like a growing number of teenagers, Amy Sugai of San Jose didn’t get her driver’s license the day she turned 16.
Burdened with difficulty in scheduling driver’s education courses, the expense involved and her mother’s objections, Sugai waited almost until her 17th birthday to take the road test.
Sugai is part of a new generation of teens waiting longer for their opportunity to drive.
Those who wait often cite these reasons:
The driver’s education course required for a learner’s permit can run about $75, plus $250 for behind-the-wheel training. For years, both of these courses were commonly available for free in California public schools.
Additional expenses, including insurance and the rising cost of gasoline.
The courses are difficult to fit into students’ busy schedules.
Once licensed, teenagers face tough restrictions for the first six months. They are prohibited from driving friends younger than 20 unless someone 25 or older is present.
“I didn’t have the money for driver’s training,” said Inema Orukari, a 19-year-old graduate of Salesian High School in Richmond, which doesn’t offer the course. He waited until he was 17 to get his license.
Those who are at least 17, but younger than 18 can apply for a permit without the driver’s education courses — or having to take behind-the-wheel training — thus saving money.
It is unknown how many California teenagers qualify for a license when they turn 16. But, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 92,463 licensed 16-year-olds as of Dec. 31, 2004, compared to 119,927 in 1990.
Parents, some of whom are reluctant to allow their children to drive, said that when they were in high school – and even up until a few years ago – many teens obtained their licenses on the day of their 16th birthday, right after taking the driving courses. A major reason: “It was offered through school,” said Melanie Morgenthaler, 44, who graduated from Lynbrook High School in San Jose in 1979.
Besides costs, parents also are keeping teens from getting their licenses. Sugai’s mom is one example. “She didn’t want me to start driving right when I turned 16. She still doesn’t like me to drive that much,” he said.
Although teens are eager to drive, statistics suggest that waiting longer for a license results in safer roads for everyone.
A total of 13.8 percent of drivers involved in crashes in the United States in 2003 were 15 to 20 years old. Drivers 21 to 24 years old were involved in 10.9 percent, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis in Washington, D.C.