Two years ago, when Capers Rumph was 15 and legally old enough to get her driver's permit, her parents told her no. Fifteen-year-olds don't belong on the roads, they said.

She got mad, but her parents prevailed. She waited until she was 16 before she got her permit. Then she attended driver's education classes and clocked 40 hours of parentally supervised driving time behind the wheel.

Now the 17-year-old Sullivan's Island resident is about to start school at the College of Charleston. She drives whenever and wherever she wants. As for the year her parents made her wait to start driving, she said it probably made her a more conscientious driver.

"In hindsight, it was probably for the better," she said.

Traffic data seem to support Rumph's statement and her parents' decision to phase in their daughter's driving privileges.

In the 1990s, states including South Carolina began instituting a tiered licensing system in an attempt to reduce traffic accidents involving teens. The system phases in full driving privileges through a beginner's permit, an intermediate licensing stage and required experience at the wheel.

South Carolina again changed its process in 2002. Those changes increased the waiting time for drivers between acquiring a permit and getting a full license from 90 days to 180 days. Teens also were required to attend a driver's education course, have a good school attendance record and spend 40 hours of supervised driving time behind the wheel with a parent.

Statewide and nationally, the new guidelines might be saving lives. Fatal accidents involving 16-year-olds fell 26 percent between 1993 and 2003 across the country, despite an increase in that age's population, according to a study released last month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

In South Carolina, the number of fatal accidents involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 19 dropped from 148 in 2002 to 145 in 2003, a year after the new guidelines were enacted. Fatal crashes again decreased in 2004, with preliminary numbers showing 139 fatal accidents involving teens.

"Times have changed," said Beth Parks, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Motor Vehicles. "It's much more difficult to get your license now. Kids who cut class or don't put in their time behind the wheel can't get a license."

To help continue the trend, Chad Barton, a traffic officer with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, said parents need to sit their teens down and talk about driving scenarios they might encounter. He said a driver has roughly 1.6 seconds to react to an unexpected situation, leaving little time to make the safest decision.

"There is more involved with driving than putting the key in the ignition and hitting the brakes," Barton said. "Parents don't take enough time to sit down with the child and help them understand the vehicle. Too many parents just hand them the keys and say, 'Here, go have a good time.' "

He said he has stopped teens without proper licenses many times for driving infractions. Typically, they were running errands just after dark with only a permit. When parents are called about the infraction, they forgive the fact their child was breaking the law because the teen might have been driving close to home, Barton said.

"Their attitude is lax," he said.

Isle of Palms resident Gavin Shelton, 18, said his parents were heavily involved in teaching him to drive. Their efforts paid off.

He studied for his driver's test and passed on his first try. But he said he knows plenty of teens who take the right to drive for granted. He said they cause accidents because people that age tend to make impulsive, irrational decisions. He speaks from experience. He was caught speeding twice and received warnings for his actions.

"We can plead ignorance and inexperience to some degree, but teens tend to show off," Shelton said. "We all drive too fast sometimes. But I'm older and wiser now."

PROCEDURE TO GET A LICENSE

Age 15: Beginner's permit. Teens must have permit for 180 days before a conditional driver's license or special-restricted license can be issued.

-- Must have good school attendance record.

-- Must drive 40 hours with a licensed parent, 10 hours of which occur at night.

Teens can opt not to get a conditional or special-restricted driver's license and instead get their permanent license if they are 17, have had their beginner's permit for 180 days and pass a road skills test.

Age 15: Eligible to get a conditional driver's license.

-- 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Teens can drive alone. Time frame expands from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. during daylight-saving time.

-- 6 p.m. to midnight: Teens can drive only if accompanied by another licensed driver 21 or older.

-- Midnight to 6 a.m.: Teens can drive only if accompanied by a licensed parent or legal guardian.

Teens can't drive with more than two passengers younger than 21, except if accompanied by another licensed driver 21 or older or if transporting family members or other students to and from school.

Teens with a conditional driver's license for one year who commit no traffic offenses and are not at fault for any accidents can receive their permanent license at age 16.

Age 16: Teens can opt for a special-restricted license instead of getting a conditional driver's license at age 15. The same restrictions apply as the conditional driver's license, expect the following rules change:

-- Teens can drive alone later into the evening but only if they provide a notarized statement from a parent or legal guardian and a notarized statement from an employer or school official to any state Department of Motor Vehicles field office. Both statements must give the reason for the waiver. Fee for waiver is $12.50.

-- This license becomes a permanent license when the teen turns 17.