However, the driver's license, which has long been a rite of passage for every high school student, is becoming less of a step toward independence and more of a step into new restrictions and rules.

A new law by Assemblyman Bill Maze, which went into effect Jan. 1, places an 11 p.m. curfew on new drivers for one year after they get their license. The law also states that, for one year, new drivers cannot transport young passengers without an adult in the car. This is a shift from a previous law that had a curfew of midnight for the first six months and a six-month period where teen drivers could not have young passengers without an adult. The new law will affect all teen drivers who have had their license for less than a year.

The goal of the law is to reduce accidents among new drivers, and give them a transitional period where they can drive without the distraction of having their friends in the car.

Josie Hall, a student at Los Gatos High School who will be affected by the law, said she didn't mind the midnight curfew too much, but the 11 p.m. curfew will pose a problem because "there are many sports games and concerts that run later than 11 p.m." Josie also found that many people don't follow the current law, so "it's just extending the time that people have to worry about getting caught."

Roz Dekett, Josie's mother, agrees with the law, but wishes it had been handled a bit differently. "I think it's a good thing, because teen drivers are more at risk, but the way they brought it in was kind of a shock," she said. She wishes that when Josie got her license in September that she had known the law was going to change in January.

"It's difficult," she said, "because teenagers who have gotten used to the midnight curfew, now have to be home by 11 p.m."

Madeline Morrow, the mother of a 16-year-old at Saratoga High School, is not looking forward to the changes. She says her son is in the marching band and many times he will get back from competitions past 11 p.m. "I think 11 p.m. is a little draconian," she said. "I guess we'll be back to doing those late night pickups.

"The curfew casts a pretty wide net--you're not just getting kids who are going to parties, but also kids who have jobs and attend school events," Morrow said.

Geetanjali Arunkumar, also the mother of a 16-year-old Saratoga student, finds the law reasonable. "The teen won't be distracted by friends in the car and can concentrate on driving," she said. However, she saw how it might be a problem for parents with more than one child, who rely on their teen to help drive siblings.

Her son Amit has a different opinion. "I don't think the law will work. Most teens already break the six-month rule. It will just frustrate people because a year is too long," he said.

According to studies done by the Automobile Club of Southern California, the old law reduced the number of teen passengers killed and injured in car crashes involving 16-year-old drivers by 40 percent in the first two years after it was passed.