Back to school means that many high school students will be behind the wheel. A change in the Arizona Class G driver’s license, though, also means some driving restrictions for teen drivers.

On May 14 Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law the Teen Driver Safety Act, which mandates that all 15, 16, and 17-year-old drivers that are applying for drivers’ licenses must adhere to a set of restrictions, said Marcus Gonzalez, the spokesman for the Douglas Police Department. The restriction took effect July 1, 2008.

These restrictions are:

√ The permit may be issued to an individual who is 15 years and six months old, a change from 15 years and seven months.

√ Requires a permit holder to be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21-years-old seated in the front passenger seat.

√ Teen drivers will be restricted from driving between midnight and 5a.m. during the first six months they hold a Class G license. Exceptions include when young drivers are accompanied by a parent or when they are driving to or from work, sanctioned school or religious activities, or a family emergency.

√ Limit drivers with a Class G license to one passenger under the age of 18 unless the passengers are siblings of the driver or the driver is accompanied by a parent seated in the front passenger seat.

√ Increase the required supervised driving practice to 30 hours from the current 25, including 10 hours of night driving, which is up from the current five hours.

If the young drivers do not follow these restrictions, they will be fined, Gonzalez said. According to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division website(www.dot.az.us), the new penalties for moving violations while under the age of 18 are as follows:

1st violation––Attending Defensive Driving School will allow record to remain clean.

2nd violation––First conviction, driver must attend Traffic Survival School.

3rd violation––Second conviction, three months suspended license.

4th violation––third conviction, six months suspended license.

“The Douglas Police Department will be aggressively enforcing the new license restrictions and want to make the citizens of Douglas aware of the new restrictions to avoid surprises and reduce the violations,” Gonzalez said.  

According to the Arizona Insurance Council website (www.azinsurance.org), these changes were prompted by new research by various public institutions like the John’s Hopkins School of Public Health, which found that states with limitations on teen driving practices, like those being implemented in Arizona, can reduce fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers by 16 percent to 21 percent.  For further information contact Public Information Officer Marcus D. Gonzalez at 364-8422 or visit the above mentioned websites.