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Youth Congress bill wants to lower age limit for getting driver’s learner’s permit
The CNMI Youth Congress recently passed a bill that seeks to change the driver’s learner’s permit age to 15 and the duration of the permit to one year.
Youth Congress Bill 18-08, authored by Youth Sen. Abriette Patience T. Manglona, proposes to amend the Commonwealth Code to change 16 years old to 15 years old instead to allow one to obtain a driver’s learner’s permit.
The bill also proposes to change the learner’s permits’ validity to one year instead of the current 60 days.
The legislation was transmitted to the House of Representatives.
Manglona stated in the bill that the current age of eligibility for driver’s learner’s permit is inadequate for a youth to fully understand the logics of driving as it is also the same age—16—for an individual to be eligible for a driver’s license.
Manglona said if the individual has at least one year of preparation, that will adequately prepare them for the moment they are eligible to receive their license.
Along with giving youths a year to learn the ins and outs of driving, permitting them to learn how to drive from dawn to dusk will expose them to the real challenges of defensive driving, knowing the right of way for cyclists and pedestrians, and being able to maintain composure from the start of their drive to their final destination.
A learner’s permit is only valid for 60 days under current law. Manglona said 60 days is insufficient time for a 15-year-old to learn how to properly drive and learn all the rules of the road.
Manglona said more time is necessary to practice driving with an experienced licensed person and fosters more responsible operators in the CNMI, and in turn allow for safer commutes from village to village.
