There comes a day in that every teenager anticipates anxiously. That day is when they have reached sixteen and can finally go  through the process of obtaining a license.

They say that when someone gets their license, it is the day they obtain their freedom.

When a driver’s license is acquired before the age of 18, a period of one year of driving without any other passengers, including family, must be met. If a driver’s license is acquired after the age of 18, the one year waiting requirement does not need to be met.

To obtain a drivers license in the state of Connecticut, a cost of $40 for the examination and $66 for the actual license must be paid at the time of acquiring the license.

To the average teenager this is on the expensive side, and some may consider the $110 price tag not worth a piece of plastic.

In the perspective of the average teenager, who may be jobless, they may wait until they are 18 or even 20 so that it will be more affordable to acquire a license.

Other teenagers that get their license as soon as they are eligible do not like to wait that required one year to drive their friends around.

If they were to drive their friends around and get caught by a cop, consequences are certain to pursue. The current penalties for breaking this law are receiving a fine, or at most losing your license for up to 3 months.

But after a teen receives a license, the driver must wait six months for immediate family to have permission to be in the car and a year before friends and others are allowed in the vehicle with the newly licensed teenager.

Sophomore Hailey Filipone believes that the rule was made for safey reasons.

 “They made this rule so they can protect people from unsafe drivers, but with this rule comes punishment for the safe drivers who deserve to have people in their car,” said Filipone
Most teens would agree with what Filipone said, due to the fact that everyone thinks that they are a safe driver, when in reality, most are not. The average teen admits to speeding and transporting other people before the one year rule.

So the million dollar question is “is it worth it”. Is it worth the $110 price tag? Is it worth the agony of not driving your friends around or possibly getting caught by the cops? There are simply too many ifs, ands or buts in acquiring a license.  In the long run the most popular and less restrictive time to get a license is after they are legally an adult.

Photo Credit: http://voiceonthego.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Driving1.jpg