BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ralph Smith, father of three, is pleased with the new driving law.
(Michael Snyder photo)
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For years, Ralph Smith looked forward to his son Jonathan's 16th birthday. It meant he and his wife, Faye, would no longer have to shuttle the boy to school and basketball practice and football practice and baseball practice and work and friends' houses.
So when the birthday came last October, the Wyoming man started giving his son driving lessons.
Now eight months later, Jonathan drives his own car. Soon it will be his sister's turn for driving lessons.
The difference is that Ohio's tougher new law, which takes effect Wednesday, allows 15-year-old Michelle to get behind the wheel at a younger age, but requires her to drive longer with a parent before she goes solo.
The family's other drivers will still have to shuttle Michelle around, but Mr. Smith thinks the new law will make teens safer. He thinks parents will have to spend more time teaching their children to drive.
Jonathan is a responsible driver, his dad says, who could have gotten his license earlier. "I only wish the changes had been in place when Jonathan was 15 1/2," Mr. Smith said.
The law lowers the age for a learner's permit from 16 to 15 1/2 but significantly increases the amount of experience young drivers need behind the wheel before they can test for their license. And it makes parents responsible for the added training.
Aimed at curbing teen fatalities and injuries, it also places a curfew on when teens can drive and requires that all those in a car driven by a teen wear seat belts.
Ohio joins 20 other states, including Michigan and Kentucky, that have toughened driver license laws to protect young drivers. Teens make up 8 percent of Ohio's drivers but are involved in 16 percent of fatal accidents. Last year, 290 Ohio teen-agers were killed in crashes.
Of those states that have the graduated licensing law, many say it's working.
One new restriction mandates that an adult 21 or older accompany a young driver at least 50 hours on the road. This can mean taking mom and dad on errands or around the block, over and over again.
Students in Rick Lisi's driving education class at Princeton High School in Sharonville said the mandate is a burden to families. "Parents don't want to spend the extra time because it's a hassle," said Ricky Macis, 15.
Mr. Lisi isn't sure the requirement will make a difference. He has taught driving courses at the high school since 1973, and he thinks he knows how parents operate.
"The parents who aren't driving with their kids now aren't going to be driving with their kids later," he said.
"Parents who want to have responsible children already spend the extra time with them. They don't want to see their kid dead," he said.
It is an honor system -- with penalties for falsifying the affidavit -- and William Galligan, owner of Bick's Driving School in Forest Park, believes it will work. He says parents will be honest when they sign the affidavit saying they rode with their child for the prescribed 50 hours. "This is serious," said Mr. Galligan, "This is a matter of responsibility."
With or without mom or dad in the car, parents like Mickey McCarthy of Western Hills say 15 1/2 is too young for a teen to be at the wheel. "It's a question of mental and emotional maturity, rather than physical maturity," she said, adding that her 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, will be eligible for a temporary permit under the new law.
Teens practice during driving clsses at Princeton High School.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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"She is anxious to try her hand at driving," Mrs. McCarthy said. "But, although more practice is better, frankly I see no reason why that practice time couldn't have been after they turned 16. I would be happy to wait until she was 17.
"But I know some parents feel it is a benefit and like the idea of their child being able to drive sooner," she said.
Teens who fall under the new regulations are obviously excited about driving earlier.
Meghan McCarthy, who turns 16 Jan. 29, is eager to drive despite her mother's reluctance. The added practice time doesn't turn her off. Practicing is important, she said. "I hope to be a responsible driver."
Maria Phillips of Wyoming, who turns 16 in October, will be able to get her permit early and then get her license as soon as she turns 16. "I was kind of upset when I didn't understand," she said of the multitiered law which many teens originally thought meant they could not drive until they were 17.
"But my parents will be happy; they're getting tired of taking me everywhere."
Mr. Galligan said the law will bring him more business. "More classes means more teaching and more money for the instructors. There's no other way to approach it."
Jonathan Smith, 16, of Wyoming got his driver's license under the old Ohio law, his sister Michele won't.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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He doesn't like the lack of curriculum, though.
"Right now, I have nothing," he said. "If the state were going to implement a program as massive as this, you'd think they'd have all their ducks in a row.
"But it's not working that way."
It also remains to be seen whether, come July 2, there will be long lines of 15 1/2-year-olds at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles signing up for driving permits.
Robert Wilson, an Allstate Insurance agent based in Fairfield, said he hasn't been inundated with parents rushing to put their 15 1/2-year-olds on the family auto insurance.
"They may be excited at first that now their kids can start driving earlier, but reality soon sets in. They start thinking -- my insurance premium is going to go up. I'll have to give up one of my cars or buy him or her a car. What if they have an accident?" Mr. Wilson said. "Parents start asking themselves what's better. No, you don't have the burden of dropping off and picking up, but you have to pay more. There are consequences," he said. "I think parents will start making their kids wait as long as possible in order to save some money."
