BOSTON, May 23 (UPI) -- A bill to increase the driving age in Massachusetts has passed a key legislative committee.
The bill would also increase the amount of time teenagers must spend in supervised practice before they can get a license, the Boston Herald reports.
The measure released by the state House Ways and Means Committee would raise the minimum age for a license by a year to 17 1/2, the highest in the country, but some observers expect it to be reduced to 17 before a floor vote.
Many teenagers are unhappy with the bill and some legislators have reservations. Republican state Sen. Bradford Hill said teenagers might end up in college with no experience in driving while still living at home.
"Do we really want that?" he asked.
Another provision in the bill would ban teenagers from using cell phones while driving, with a year's license suspension as a penalty.
