Back in March I posted a blog concerning the driver license laws here in South Dakota and how it may play a part in the high number of teenage driving related deaths in the state.

        A new report out from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that raising the driving age from 16 to 17 or 18 would reduce the number of car crashes and prevent deaths.

        As it is right now in South Dakota teens are allowed to get a driver’s permit at 14 and their license at 16. Many people feel that 14 is too young for teens to be behind the wheel, while others feel that starting them off at a younger age gives them more experience and the more experience you have the better off you are in the long run.

        Another point that has been raised is that many places in South Dakota are rural and spread out, which means that raising the driving age would make it harder for teens to get around to all the different activities and events they are involved in. It would also put an added burden on parents to have to worry about chauffeuring their kids around when they might not have the time.

        South Dakota’s license law’s are commonly listed among states that have licensing laws that are too lax—a reason that the teen death rate from car crashes is so high here according to a March 2008 USA Today article. Obviously something needs to be done, but is raising the driving age to 18 really the answer?     

        According to that March 2008 USA Today article one main reason for teenage car crash related deaths was due to inexperience. If we wait until these teens are leaving for college to give them the freedom to drive then they aren’t going to have the experience needed to be able to handle driving on their own—especially if they go to school somewhere like the Black Hills, where there is a lot of snow in the winter.

        It’s obvious that something needs to be done about this problem, but over-compensating for it is just as bad as doing nothing at all.

        One solution could be to have a graduated driver’s license similar to the one they have in Wyoming. The laws in Wyoming allow you to receive your instruction permit when you are 15 years old. With the instruction permit you can only drive with a licensed driver that is 18 or older.

        Once you turn 16 years old you can get your intermediate permit. With your intermediate permit you can drive by yourself between the hours of 5 am and 11pm. You are only allowed one passenger with you that is under 18 years of age at a time.

        Once you turn 16 ½, if you have had your intermediate permit  and have completed your  50 hours of driving, including 10 hours of night driving, certified by your legal parent or guardian—and pass all the vision and driving tests you will receive full driving privileges.  If you don’t finish your 50 hours of driving or never get your intermediate permit you have to wait till you are 17 years old to receive full driving privileges.

        While this system isn’t always 100% foolproof it is better than the plan proposed by the State of South Dakota –and in many cases better than the current law allowing teens to drive when they are only 14. While South Dakota and Wyoming are not the same state and have different problems they do have similar weather and terrain, therefore a graduated drivers license program like Wyoming’s could be used and modified to better serve South Dakota. One way or another we need to find a “happy medium” here in South Dakota.