By MANDY WHITE
It's official. You don't have to be sweet 16 anymore to drive. Make that
15 1/2.
Starting July 1998, Ohio's teenagers will be able to get their learners'
permits at the age of 15 1/2 instead of 16.
But for all those 14-year-olds jumping up and down right now, thinking that's
a pretty sweet deal _ wait till you hear the catch. Make that catches.
Ohio lawmakers, throwing the proverbial bone of a younger driving age for
teens, have made sure that the real emphasis of the law is safety.
Fact: Before getting their licenses, kids must spend at least 50
hours on the road (10 at night) under supervision of parents or guardians
before taking their driving test at 16. (Probably haven't spent that much
time with Mom or Dad since you were teething.)
Fact: After passing the driving test, only a probationary license
will be issued until age 18.
Fact: The new law also states that there must be at least 24 hours
of classroom instruction, either at a public school or at a private driving
school, plus eight hours behind the wheel.
Fact: At 16, teen-agers will only be able to drive if accompanied
by a licensed driver 21 or older.
Fact: No one younger than 17 will be able to legally drive between
1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless a parent, guardian or custodian is present. (No,
that doesn't mean you should drag along the school janitor.) The curfew
wouldn't apply for students driving to or from work or a school function,
if the teen doesn't live with a parent or guardian (emancipated) or in an
emergency situation (cabin fever doesn't count).
Fact: Teen traffic violators will have their license suspended for
at least 90 days after two citations and for a year after three.
Fact: Teens are also limited to only placing as many people in the
car as there are seatbelts. Everyone in the car must be wearing seatbelts.
Since statistics show that auto deaths are the leading cause of death among
young Ohioans, and that young motorists are four times more likely to die
on the highways than older drivers, it's likely these changes will be permanent.
So what do area teens have to say about the change?
Mark Haight, a 14-year old from Conneaut High School, said that from his
point of view, it isn't all that great. "I probably won't get my permit
(at 15) anyway."
Ben Waid, a student from Grand Valley Middle School, summed it up in two
words _ "It stinks."
Braden student Leslie Howell, also 14, believes that the law is a good idea.
"I think the advantage of driving early outweigh the disadvantages.
(Driving at 15 1/2) might be more dangerous, but it means I'd get my license
sooner."
Jamie Dubin, 14, of Austinburg, who is home schooled, thinks that the law
is a good protection for everyone.
"I think it's a good change. Teen drivers are more experienced when
they get on the road. Having an adult in the car all the time is good because
they can take control if anything happens."
One possible result of the law is changing costs for drivers education.
While not all county schools provide drivers ed., many students have the
option of either enrolling in a private driving school or going to their
own high schools for instruction. Private driving schools did not return
calls.
The Ashtabula County Board of Education's office said that changes due to
the law were still being looked into.
While White is 16, she says there's less hassle sitting behind the steering
wheel of the playground car at Conneaut's Township Park.
A Bob Lebzelter column
A new law approved by the Ohio legislature last year will
greatly
affect kids who will be getting their licenses after July 1.
Sure, kids can get permits at 15 1/2. But it now requires at least 50
hours of on the road experience, 10 at night, to get a license.
Main sponsor of the legislation, Sen. Bruce E. Johnson, R-Columbus,
said auto accidents are the leading cause of death among young
Ohioans. Teens will have other hoops to jump through before getting
their final licenses at age 18.
But shouldn't something first be done about those causing the most
accidents on the highways? No, it's not teen-agers.
It's older drivers. Older drivers have problems with depth perception,
reaction time and awareness of what's going on around them.
Larry Cook, who does accident analysis for Utah, and Wayne
Bigelow of the University of Wisconsin, both report the highest
accident rates, per mile driven, involve teens and driver over 70, but
not for the same reason.
People age 70 and over don't drive at night or at high speeds (factors
in teen crashes), but at speeds of 35 to 40 mph during the day.
Cook says studies of thousands of accidents found that the elderly are
twice as likely as younger people to have an accident while turning
left across traffic - misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic. The
accident rate on right turns was the same for both age groups.
Older people were also twice as likely to be cited after an accident for
failure to stop at a stop sign or yield the right of way, he found.
Who hasn't found himself or herself in a 55-mile-an-hour zone
suddenly slowed to half that speed by an elderly driver putting the
brake on at every turn of the road?
Teen drivers cause more than their share of accidents, no doubt, but
so do the elderly.
So if we clamp down on teens, why not the elderly? Why not new
driving exams every few years for drivers 70 and older?
Did you hear about the elderly couple who got in their car for a five-
minute drive to the doctor but instead spent two days driving
aimlessly, stopping only for gasoline? When a police officer finally
caught up with them, they didn't think anything was wrong.
So why aren't new laws coming out making us all safer from older
drivers as well as teens?
Could it be older drivers have more clout? Ever hear of lobbying by
the American Association of Retired Persons?
Kids are easy targets. At that age, they can't vote. Older people have
the highest concentration of voters.
People like to see more restrictions on teens anyway.
Politicians can seek re-election stating they made the streets safer,
well, at least as safe as is politically palatable.
Anyone who regularly drives will notice some older drivers pulling
into traffic unsafely, going too slow and turning without signaling.
You might say that's an unfair statement. Not all older drivers
operate a vehicle that way.
Well, all teens don't get into crashes or driver recklessly. The ones I
observe know when to pull into traffic and use signals, too.
Don't group and then penalize older drivers?
Can't we say the same for teens?
Lebzelter, Teen/Currents editor, got his license at age 16. His most
recent accident involved a deer, who was determined to be at fault,
but whose age wasn't known.
Compiled by James M. Waid
Life’s Merry-Go-Round
Why do women always have to be the aggressor?
Why can’t they be as shy as men?
I am a woman
Very much wanting to talk to a special man.
But I too am shy, not knowing how to break the ice;
When I see him I lose all the words I wanted to say when he walked by.
I too am insecure, as I once told him how I felt.
So I lost him to another as I was told
He did not feel the same way.
So when I pass him by
I just keep it short and just say hi
I walk by and give a glance and my smile
What is a person to do with this terrible pain of loneliness?
I too know not what to say.
I don’t want to be out of line for if his love is for another,
I don’t want to be the one left behind
Within the terrible pain of loneliness and the emptiness of time.
Maybe I am blinded by the lighted lift I get when he is near by.
But I know not what to say as I don’t want to be a fool.
Who stumbles down the path to the merry-go-round of life.
To find out he’s not the one he’s dreaming about
Over this long period of time.
- Marsha Sky
Die, Spirit
I want to lose my mind and soul
In order to lose control
I want to be no one for a while
Slowly spiral down and die
I want to kill my soul and hope
Destroy any way to cope
And, perhaps then, if I’m alive
I shall regain that for which I strived
- Brandon Metzko
One Simple Kiss
Waiting for that one simple kiss
The feeling, the thought of perfect bliss
Growing desires that we can’t bear
Sweet and tender words that we share
Dusting your heart with my love
Our affection for each other, pure as a dove
Chimes and melodies floating in the air
Looking in your eyes, seeing that you care
Still waiting for that one simple kiss
The feeling, the thought of perfect bliss
- Courtney Lynn Tupa
Terror Is Your Eye’s Apparel
Tearing and falling
Slither no further
Under the underbrush
Newly found fervor
Slipping and sliding
Shy away farther
Chasing your footpath
He’s coming to gather
Running and worrying
Beware the chariot
Sparks from his fire
He’s coming to carry you
Dropping and scurrying
Terror’s your eye’s apparel
Whisper your name
Fly-away horror
Stooping and stopping
Your backdrop is dropping
Listen -- so careful
And then comes the chopping
- James M. Waid
Dear Readers: I really want to receive your poetry. And you haven’t
sent me any....Disappointing to say the least. This is a forum in which
all (young and old) can take part. Unfortunately, because of a misprint
in previous columns, I may not have received your poems if you had sent
them to my address at elia_kazan@hotmail.com.
You can send your
poetry here or to tinman360@hotmail.com.
Send your writings by snail mail to
6688 St. Rt. 45; Orwell, OH 44076. Your Friend -- James
Tired of sitting home as your parents nod off to Guy Lombardo?
Well, get your keester up and head for the new Jefferson Community
Center Jan. 31, a week from Saturday.
There will be alternative, punk, ska and hardcore bands.
It's all sponsored by Covered Bridge Pizza, Shear Madness, Morell
Music and Slappy's Records.
You can hear The Yellow Snowmen, Short Change, T.H. Allstars, Pure
and Area 51.
OK, so where is this place? Just take Route 46 into Jefferson from Route
11. At the second traffic light, hang a left. It's right there. (The building
should be shaking.)
It goes on from 6 to 11 p.m. (Ask Mommy if you can stay up past your
bedtime.)
Also, it will cost you $3. We suggest you lift Dad's wallet while he's
snoring to Lombardo.
Taking a different slant, the Gospel Music Hall on Hubbard Road in
Madison is offering Christian entertainment every Friday and Saturday.
Doors open at 6, with entertainment at 7 p.m.
There's a freewill offering and beverages available.
If you play in a Christian group, call Jerry Sanders at 924-4798 or 428-
8898 after 8 p.m.
Teens in the past worried about civil rights, free speech, war, etc.
So what angers them today?
A new survey says nothing.
It's even hard to get students riled up about tuition, says one campus
Republican.
The annual freshman survey by UCLA for the Washington-based
American Council on Education found just 27 percent of the nation's 1.6
million freshmen believe that keeping up with political affairs is a very
important life goal, less than half the percentage recorded in 1966. Just
14 percent said they frequently discuss politics, down from 30 percent in
1968.
Freshmen and some frustrated activists point to several reasons: a sense
of powerlessness, a lack of burning issues and a desire to shun political
labels or even a reluctance to antagonize acquaintances in a new social
setting.
"At the age I am now, it doesn't seem that important," said Jessica
Grace
Evans, 18, a freshman at the University of Nebraska. "I don't think
our
opinion matters in the grand scale of things."
So there you have it. So who cares?
E-mail really cool Teen/Currents
editor
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