More road rules

Doug Clark of Winston-Salem hopes his 14-year-old son will use his experience driving Go-Karts at an amusement part in Apex in Wake County to learn how to drive a pickup.

"If he can get his driver's license, he can be more independent," Clark said of his son, Jean-Luc Clark, a ninth-grader at Mount Tabor High School.

Father and son agree with a new law that requires Jean-Luc and other teen drivers to log the time they spend learning to drive. Jean-Luc said he plans to get his learner's permit on his 15th birthday on Feb. 18.

"A record will help my parents know that I will be a safe driver," Jean-Luc said before he practiced in a driver's education car, a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, in the high school's parking lot.

In June, the N.C. General Assembly passed the law that requires new drivers younger than 18 with their learner's permit to log 60 hours behind the wheel, under the supervision of a parent or an experienced driver. The provision mandates that 10 hours of that time occur at night.

The law took effect Jan. 1. A young person can receive a learner's permit upon turning 15.

Under the law, teen drivers can log only 10 hours per week toward the total driving time. The teen driver must turn in the signed log to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles when applying for a limited provisional driver's license.

Then the teen must log an additional 12 hours of driving, including six hours at night.

Doug Clark said he is ready to spend time with his son to help him learn how to drive. The law requiring logs will make that task easier, he said.

"As a parent, I'd rather be with him than (have him with) a friend who is 18," Clark said.

Charlie Jarman, a driver's education teacher at Mount Tabor, said he supports the law but acknowledges that it will make extra work for parents.

"Most kids can't wait to drive," Jarman said.

Rebecca Griffin, 15, a freshman at Mount Tabor, has logged eight hours of driving with her parents, she said.

"It's kind of annoying to keep track of it, but it's not too bad," Rebecca said of the logs.

Her mother, Karen Griffin of Winston-Salem, said she agrees with the law.

"Students need plenty of time to have to navigate the roads and learn the traffic laws," Karen Griffin said. "The law helps build confidence in her and others on the road."

Allen Overkamp, 14, an eighth-grader at Jefferson Middle School, takes the driver's ed class at Mount Tabor. He plans to get his learner's permit in April when he turns 15.

Allen said the law requiring logs is unfair because trying to get 10 hours a week at the wheel will be difficult for the many teenagers who typically drive for only 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

Anne McCartt, a senior vice president for research for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety in Arlington, Va., said the law requiring teen drivers to log their practice time likely will make roads and highways safer because teenagers will become better drivers.

"Requiring a certain amount of practice driving for teens should reduce their involvement in crashes," McCartt said.

State transportation statistics show that drivers 15 and younger in 2009 were involved in 693 crashes in North Carolina, resulting in four deaths and 266 injuries.

The number of crashes involving this age group decreased 3.5 percent in 2010, statistics show. Two years ago, drivers 15 and younger were involved in 669 crashes, causing four deaths and 253 injuries.

Statistics for 2011 were unavailable.

State Sen. Peter Brunstetter, R-Forsyth, said officials with the Division of Motor Vehicles recommended last year that legislators approve the law.

"Many kids weren't getting actual driving time after their driver's ed training," Brunstetter said. "The law is designed to get parents and guardians involved with their children's driving."

Some teens and their parents initially may not like the law, Brunstetter said.

"I'm sure there will be some growing pains because they are not familiar with it," he said. "But you want kids to be ready. We are putting 16-year-olds out on the road."