July 7, 2005 - For Immediate Release

Licensing works to improve safety of teenage drivers

OLYMPIA—School is out for the summer and many Washington teenagers are hitting the pool, the mall—and the road. As part of an ongoing effort to keep young drivers safe, the Department of Licensing is working on changes to improve the teenage driver license program.

The Department is proposing a rule change that will require parents or guardians of driver license applicants under the age of 18 to sign a statement indicating they have read and understand the rules and restrictions of an intermediate license.

“The safety of our young drivers is of the utmost importance to the Department and we want parents, as well as teenage drivers, to fully understand the rights and responsibilities that come with driving,” said Elizabeth Luce, Director of DOL.

A rule change hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, July 8, to hear public comments about this proposed rule change. The hearing will be held in room 413 on the fourth floor of the Highway-Licenses Building, 1125 Washington St. SE, Olympia.

Approved by the State Legislature in 2000 and enacted on July 1, 2001, the Intermediate Driver License is intended to improve highway safety by progressively developing and improving the skills of younger drivers in the safest possible environment, thereby reducing the number of automobile crashes.

Washington's Intermediate License has the following restrictions:

• For the first six months the driver may not have any passengers in the car under the age of 20, except for immediate family members.
• After the first six months, the driver may not have more than three passengers in the car under the age of 20, except for immediate family members.
• The driver may not operate a vehicle between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. except when accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver who is at least twenty-five years of age.

Statistics show the law is working. According to the state Department of Transportation, the annual average of highway collisions involving 16-year-old drivers dramatically declined by 45 percent in the two years after the law took effect. Collisions among 17-year-old drivers dropped 15 percent.

For more information about the Intermediate Driver License, please visit the DOL website at www.dol.wa.gov.