THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 5, 1996 TAG: 9601050054
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC NICKENS, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
PICTURE THIS. You are standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, waiting anxiously to finally get your driver's license. You walk up to the counter and then walk away in disappointment because you have not successfully completed one of your ``stages'' of driving or you did not pass a standardized test in school.
This scenario may seem fictional, but such requirements may soon be coming to a Department of Motor Vehicles near you. Lawmakers in Virginia and North Carolina could be considering legislation this upcoming session that would make getting a driver's license harder.
One plan in North Carolina would divide the learner's permit into three stages that would gradually give a teen-ager independence from their parents.
The first stage would start at age 15, when a student has his learners' permit. Under a version of the proposal supplied by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, the student would be allowed to drive between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. and only with a parent or guardian in the car. The second stage of the UNC plan would allow unsupervised driving from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and supervised driving at night. This would only occur after successfully completing the first phase without any infractions of the law.
After successfully completing the second stage, which requires six months without any infractions of the law, the third stage allows the student driver to drive during any time of the day - alone. After the successful completion of three months of the third stage without any infractions, the student driver would then be allowed to obtain his or her driver's license.
Arlisa Broadnax, a freshman at John A. Holmes High School in Edenton, N.C., is a bit divided on the issue about the staggered learner's permit system.
``The passing of the new law would be good to make sure the student driver knows how to skillfully and safely operate a motor vehicle. However, on the other side of the issue, this new law probably would not cut down on accidents and drunk drivers . . . those things just happen,'' Broadnax said.
``The more laws that the states make will probably make students rebel and drive without a learner's permit or driver's license,'' she said.
Well, North Carolina teens can breathe a sigh of relief for right now. According to Rep. Howard Hunter (D-Northampton), this particular issue was held up in debate and is literally a ``dead bill.''
On the other side of the state line, Virginia Gov. George F. Allen and Superintendent of Public Instruction William C. Bosher Jr., have suggested denying driver's licenses to students who fail to pass assessment tests that measure a student's mastery of the state's new standards of learning. At this time, these tests have not yet been developed and consequences for students who fail to measure up to the new standards are very preliminary.
If the Virginia General Assembly approves legislation denying licenses to students, ``making the grade'' may hold new meaning for young drivers striving toward independence. MEMO: High school correspondent Summer Shtay of Edenton, N.C., contributed to
this article. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Eric Nickens is a freshman at Gates County (N.C.) High School.
by CNB