Emily+C’s+OpEd+Article



 "Once you have your provisional driver license, you may drive alone, as long as you do not have any collisions or traffic violations. During the first 12 months after you are licensed, you cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and you cannot transport passengers under 20 years of age, unless you are accompanied by a licensed parent or guardian, a licensed driver 25 years of age or older, or a licensed or certified driving instructor.” -California Driver’s Handbook

In less than a month I will have had my driver’s license for one year, this means that all of the provisional license restrictions that come with it, which are listed above, will come to an end. And I, for one, could not be more relieved.

Not being able to drive my friends around, legally, must be the STUPIDEST LAW EVER CREATED.

I honestly don’t see what the big deal is. I understand that laws are supposed to protect us and make sure that we’re safe, but I feel this law just restrains us too much and is an inconvenience, which is why the length of the restriction should be lowered.

Having the restriction be at most a half a year after receiving your license, instead of one year, would be a more acceptable length.

I am more than a half a year older than most of my friends, so this meant that I had my license for about that long before any of them got theirs.

Last week, myself and three of my friends (two of which could drive) wanted to go downtown. For this to be legally acceptable we would have had to take four separate cars (having the mom of my one friend who doesn’t drive, take her) or have a parent drive us downtown, only to have to come back in a couple hours to pick us up.

To me that just seems ridiculous. We’re all almost seventeen years old and still legally need our parents to drive us around just to hang out. When it’s obviously just an inconvenience to us and to our parents.

Bottom line, the law is stupid and we should be able to drive our friends.