For 15-year-old Brittany Brown, getting a driver’s license is a big step on the road to independence.
When Brown signed up for a driver’s education class at Port Townsend High School two weeks ago, she pictured a summer shuttling a car full of friends around with her new license.
But not after July 1.
Mounting concern about the safety of teen-age drivers has led to a new “intermediate” or “teen” license for first-time drivers younger than age 18.
The state bill creating the license was signed into law in March.
Under the new law, teen-agers face several restrictions during their first year of driving including prohibiting teen-age passengers during their first six months of driving, limiting teen-age passengers to three during the second six months and prohibitions from driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. without a parent.
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