Driving age under discussion

FARGO (AP) - Two Highway Patrol captains say they're not ready to endorse the idea of raising North Dakota's driving age to 16, but they think it's worth discussing.

Kevin Robson is the commander of the patrol's Grand Forks office. He says there may be room for tighter restrictions on driving in bad weather or during certain times of day or night.

Capt. Jim Prockniak, the patrol supervisor in Fargo, says inexperience and distractions play a role in crashes. He says younger people are dealing with "a lot of those multiple distractions, whether it be a CD player, text messaging, cell phones or other people in the vehicle."

State Rep. Ed Gruchalla of Fargo has said he plans to introduce a bill in next year's legislative session to change the legal driving age from 14 to 16.