A state lawmaker from the Philadelphia area is working on a bill that would restrict a 16- or 17-year-old driver from carrying more than one teenage passenger. Reducing the number of teens injured or killed in car crashes is the objective of state Rep. Katharine Watson — and highway safety groups cite statistics to support her approach.

The general approach to reducing teenage highway deaths is by the graduated license program in which young drivers advance in stages from learner's permit to provisional license and, finally, receive a permanent license. Various restrictions have been imposed on the preliminary or junior license in stages, such as curfews to limit nighttime driving, limiting teenage passengers, and banning cell phone use.

In the past decade, 46 states have adopted some form of graduated licensing. Various reports, including statistics from the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration and analysis of that data by the American Automobile Association (AAA), support graduated licensing with increasingly restrictive provisions such as the one being proposed by Watson.

Howls of protest and accusations of "Nanny State" overbearing can be expected from teenagers and some parents, but that should not deter state lawmakers from taking action that will save teenage lives.

Responsibility for teenage drivers still rests primarily with parents and the teen drivers themselves, but laws can help minimize the likelihood of accidents, particularly fatal accidents.

Statistics reveal the harsh reality that 16- and 17-year-olds have the highest crash rate per mile of any age group — and nearly 60 percent of the victims in fatal car crashes involving 15- to 17-year-old drivers were passengers of the teen drivers. Having fewer teens in cars driven by teens will save lives.

The restriction might inconvenience some parents, but it's no secret that a group of teenagers in a car can get to horsing around, with the end result being a distracted, inexperienced driver.

Last year, 11 states took action to strengthen their graduated license requirements. Pennsylvania should join their ranks by supporting further restricting the conditions under which younger drivers are permitted behind the wheel.

The ability to drive a car is a privilege, not a right. Limiting high-risk activities, curtailing more-dangerous nighttime driving hours and other measures that reduce the likelihood of teenage traffic fatalities are all measures the broader public supports. Making the highways safer for teenagers saves lives — of the teen drivers, their passengers and others on the highways. State lawmakers should step up to make the rules stricter, and the highways safer.