It’s a few years overdue and could go further, but the bill placing passenger restrictions on teenage drivers passed by the state Legislature is nonetheless welcome. It will save lives.

Anyone who has observed a carload of teenagers understands what distractions they can present to the driver, especially an inexperienced driver. Younger drivers are more easily distracted — often with deadly consequences.

A gang of friends fooling around in a car while a teenage driver navigates traffic is a prescription for trouble. Finally, state lawmakers have passed a bill to address the problem.

But why did it take so long? An Internet site explaining variations in so-called graduated driver-licensing (GDL) programs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia shows that 44 states and D.C. have laws restricting the number of passengers that a newly licensed teenage driver can have in the car. Some states restrict passengers for six months, as Pennsylvania’s new law will do. Other states restrict in stages, allowing no nonfamily passengers for six months, then not more than one passenger for the second six months.

The new law, assuming Gov. Tom Corbett signs it in the coming days, will limit teen drivers to one nonfamily passenger for the first six months on a junior license. After that period, up to three nonfamily members will be permitted as passengers.

Pennsylvania lawmakers should have opted for the stricter, staged limits found in several other states where no nonfamily teen passengers are allowed in the first six months, then only one for the next six months.

A longer period of reduced distractions for teen drivers would have been better, but six months is a start.

Graduated driver licensing, with phased-in privileges to allow new drivers to gain experience while avoiding high-risk environments like multiple passengers and late-night driving, saves lives. Teenage drivers need protection, given that younger drivers are involved in fatal accidents at twice the rate of drivers over the age of 21.

Some teenagers and their parents might say they don’t like the restrictions, but surveys find most people, including teenage drivers themselves, see GDL programs as reasonable. In California, a recent survey found that 74 percent of teens said the passenger restriction did not affect them much, and a majority of parents said it was not a major inconvenience.

That’s good. But even if teen drivers did complain that it impacted them and their parents and said it was an inconvenience, it’s still a good idea.

The stricter GDL limits passed by Pennsylvania lawmakers also will increase the hours of supervised driving required before a teen can take the license test to 65 hours from 50 hours. It also mandates that 10 of those hours be nighttime driving and 5 hours be during inclement weather. Another good idea, but how will such a provision be enforced?

It might be better to require teen drivers to enroll in a certified driver’s education program rather than rely on all parents to honestly attest to the hours and conditions in which their teen driver had supervised behind-the-wheel experience.

Despite its shortcomings, the expansion of Pennsylvania’s graduated licensing program is a welcome change. More changes should follow, but the passenger restriction was long overdue — and is a lifesaver.