Teens from all over the district have been guilty of driving without following the conditions of their Learner’s Permits or Restricted Licenses.
Unlicensed teenagers may be very capable of driving well, but that doesn’t make it legal, even if their parents let them.
“You’d be amazed how many parents allow that to happen, because they’re tired of driving their kids around, so they go ahead and take that chance, but it’s just not worth the risk,” School Resource Officer Ken Braden said.
Restrictions are not just made for fun, they’re made to be followed.
Lately, it seems like there’s an all-time high of students driving around with no license, and in some cases, not even a restricted.
I think a lot of teenagers enjoy rebelling, whether it’s against their parents or the law.
In most cases, it doesn’t make them a bad person because their perception of fun is different, it’s just the fact they’re putting their safety in jeopardy.
That’s one of the main reasons why laws are created — safety.
Sometimes it’s not even a matter of getting hurt, it’s getting caught.
This doesn’t mean with your parents, which can be pretty bad as it is. It means getting caught with the police.
Braden said he thinks it’d be a lot easier to get 50 hours and follow restrictions opposed to waiting two years because your license was suspended when you weren’t following the rules.
“If you have a restricted license and you’re working on getting your 50 hours, I understand that in a teenager’s mind 50 hours is a long time,” he said. “My guess is in one week or in two weeks you can get those 50 hours in driving your parents to school or the store or whatever the case may be.”
Another reason why laws are made is the aspect of order.
If you’re not the type of person to abide by that, good for you.
I’m not here to tell you what or what not to do, but be prepared to deal with your consequences in the event that you get caught for something you know you’re not supposed to be doing.
Braden said teenagers in violation of the restrictions of their permit or restricted will get a ticket and go to court.
In court, they face possible suspension of their license until they’re 18 years old.
As cool as you think you may look driving around unsupervised with all of your friends, having the time of your lives, the fun will come to a quick end once you get pulled over.
Braden said since he sees students at school everyday, he usually knows whether or not someone can legally drive.
“If I see someone that came in here, and I knew they had a restricted license and I see they have four or five people in their car, of course I would stop that person. That’s the difference between being a school resource officer and someone that’s on a regular patrol,” he said.
So, if getting caught isn’t one of your concerns, another thing you should take into consideration is what could happen if you get into an accident.
It’s not just about your safety, it’s about the safety of others, too.
Waiting to drive when it’s actually legal and earning some extra experience with your parents now, while you can, means lowering the risk of hurting yourself and others.
I think lately this is one of the main reasons why most teenagers in general are afraid or at least intimidated by cops — because they are simply not following the rules.