HARRISBURG, Pa. — A potential bill proposed by a pair of Pennsylvania lawmakers would lower the legal driving age in the Commonwealth from 16 to 15 years old.
State Representatives Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) and Eric Nelson (R-Westmoreland) recently drafted a memo to their colleagues in the House that argued the current legal driving age of 16 is an unfair burden to working teens, limiting their potential employment choices.
"While state law allows young people in Pennsylvania to begin working before they are 16 years old, it limits their employment choices by prohibiting them from driving until the age of 16," the memo states. "If Pennsylvania teens wish to work and are legally permitted to do so, they should not be denied the right to travel to their place of employment."
The bill proposed by Kinsey and Nelson would change the eligibility for a junior driver's license to age 15 and would also establish an age of eligibility for a learner's permit to 15 as well.
There would be no change to any existing safety or training requirements like passenger limitations or nighttime driving restrictions, the lawmakers said.
Kinsey and Nelson added neighboring states like Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia have already made changes to the minimum age for acquiring a learner's permit.
“Joining these states would mean more financial empowerment for Pennsylvania’s youth and more tax revenue for the state,” the lawmakers said.
"Working teens learn accountability while contributing to their communities. Please join us in inviting more young people to participate in building their own and Pennsylvania’s economic future by signing on to this proposal."
