Ohio lawmakers want to make teen drivers wait a little while longer before they get a license.
House Bill 293, introduced by Representatives Gary Scherer and Michael Sheehy, would double the amount of time teens would need to have their learner’s permit before getting licensed, from the current six months to one year.
The bill would also restrict drivers under 18 from operating a car between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Right now, the cut off is midnight.
The bill is in it’s early stages and has not been sent to a committee yet.
At soccer practice in Rocky River, parents of four children Mike and Joann Musbach were generally in favor of the plan.
“I think it’s great, especially with all the distractions kids have now,” Joann Musbach said.
“Nothing was distracting me except for the radio and maybe the passenger, but now the kids have got all the stuff,” Mike Musbach said.
Their son Cooper, who’s looking forward to learning to drive in about a year, was less enthusiastic.
“I get freedom to go places, hang out with my friends, whenever I want really,” he said.
Teen car accidents are a problem in the United States. According to the CDC, 2,333 teenagers between 16 and 19 died in car accidents in 2015, making it that age group’s number one killer.
