A newfound freedom for teens, and a newfound fear for parents. When teens first get their licenses there are certain restrictions. Teens cannot carry passengers for the first 180 days. They may not drive between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., and they cannot use their cell phones while driving.

Many teens feel these laws are too harsh.

“The six-month restriction is useless for teens. It is too hard to enforce, and it’s not practical,” said Will Griffiths, a senior at Poland Regional High School.

Parents, on the other hand, find the restrictions necessary.

“The laws are very fair. The probationary time that teens must go through is necessary for them to get used to the road without distractions,” says Laurie Gerard, a parent of a teen driver.

Kaitlyn Moreau, a junior at PRHS and a driver, feels teens do not follow the laws. “A license means freedom to teens, which they take as an opportunity to do whatever they want,” she said.

Many parents share this same thought. “Teens feel like they won’t get caught and that they are ‘good drivers,'” Gerard adds.

If a number of teens are not following the driving laws consistently, the issue then becomes whether the laws are effective at all.

“The laws are effective when they are enforced,” Moreau says. “The laws are effective if they are followed by the teens. They need to realize that it is in their best interests to abide by the restrictions.”

There are statistics that support Moreau’s idea. The number-one cause of death for teens is motor vehicle crashes. An average of 5,000 teens die in car crashes each year. When other teens are in the car, such accidents are more likely to be fatal.

Teen drivers are also twice as likely than any other age group to crash between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Such statistics show that teen driving laws are based on legitimate concerns about teen health and safety. “Teens need to know that the laws and restrictions in place for them are there for good reasons, and if they don’t follow them the chances for them to get into accidents and injured increases immensely. They need to realize that their new freedom does not mean amnesty from the law,” says Laurie Gerard.

Teens may feel as though their license is a newfound freedom, but unless they are following the laws that are set specifically for them, their “freedom” will be taken away as quickly as they got it.