[Puppage]

prevent them from driving with an unlimited number of friends.

Yeah, my old man hated when I drove the Datsun around town with 15 of my friends thrown in.

more people in the car means more distractions

Geez, how comfortable ARE they behind the wheel? What about the "distraction" of other cars, pedestrians, pretty girls? etc. etc.

Yet, ANOTHER feel good law that won't do SQUAT.

[eastforker]

I happen to disagree with you.16 and 17 year old kids need to learn how to drive without the temptation of speeding,racing and other dangerous acts without the skills needed to perform them.Lets also include the temptation of having a few beers at the same time.After what I did behind the wheel 35 years ago as a kid I think it may be a good law.

[Agnes Heep]

Good idea. Kids generally have rotten attitudes about driving, and they need a period of time to acquire the motor skills necessary to make driving second nature. Even under the most favorable circumstances, they're going to have accident rates higher than those of mature adults, and this is reflected in the premiums they pay for insurance.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Who are these American Taliban?

Oh, I forgot, in Connecticut, the NUTmeg state, these people are known as Dim-o-craps.

[Jim Cane]

The best way to ensure that children remain children well into adulthood is to treat them like children.

[BraveMan]

Wisconsin already has similar restrictions in effect. As the father of a teenage daughter recently acquiring driving privileges, I applaud the restrictions.

I find it difficult to conjure up the moral outrage over the restrictions when I read the plethora of newspaper articles detailing the teenage driver injuries and fatalities. As a motorcyclist I can from personal experience attest my greatest threat of injury comes from inattentive youngsters behind the wheel. Perhaps if you were in a similar position, you wouldn't be so concerned about the restrictions.

[Amelia]

Yet, ANOTHER feel good law that won't do SQUAT.

As a parent of teenagers and a teacher of teenagers, I think it's a great law.

Other kids screaming and screeching in the car, as well as possibly encouraging dangerous or thoughtless behavior, CAN be a danger.

[hosepipe]

Giving money and power to Government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke

[Myrddin]

A drunk 17 year old hispanic kid with 3 of his intoxicated "homeys" was responsible for totaling my 1999 Saturn SW2 in on July 26, 2003. He ran a stop sign at over 25 MPH in a residential area. My wife was driving. The strike was on the passenger side... dead square on the door post. It raised the center of the frame 14 inches. The door frame was pushed all the way back to the center console. The front passenger seat was literally folded in half. The front passenger door was rolled over the glove compartment. I had to shove a tire iron into the edge of the glove compartment door and shatter the plastic to retrieve documents for the police dept.

It is quite common for a car full of teens to be cruising around at night. For new drivers, that is often a form of entertainment. It is also frequently a source of teenage mischief. Insisting on a few months of supervised driving is a good idea.

My son just had a friend visit yesterday. He is a new driver. The dope parked his car 10 feet from the base of my driveway and came inside. He completely blocked access to my driveway. We asked him to move the vehicle so we could make a shopping trip. He pulled 10 feet forward and blocked our mailboxes AND the fire hydrant. We pointed out the problem with the fire hydrant. My wife suggested parking between our house and the neighbor's house. The jackass then pulled up on my front lawn. I was really pissed at that point. I told him between the houses meant ON THE STREET between the houses. At that point he pulled off my lawn and "chinese parked" on the street between our house and he neighbor's house...blocking their driveway. I'm not sure how this kid managed to get a driver's license. He doesn't seem bright enough to be driving on a public street.