Training Wheels

Many states--and some parents--are making teens earn their driver's licenses more slowly

Last summer Joanna Eide, who lives in a town just south of Seattle, did what many Americans do the instant they turn 16: she got a driver's license. But if a bill before its legislature passes as expected, Washington will soon join the growing number of states that require "graduated licenses" for drivers who are not yet 18. Under the proposed law, Washington teens could get a learner's permit at 15 and could earn an intermediate driver's license at 16--both with lots of strings at- tached. But in the meantime, at the cozy, split-level home that Joanna shares with her family,...

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