Local teen starts petition to allow N.C. teens to get drivers licenses

When Kinston local Elliana Sylvia dreamt of her 16th birthday, she didn’t imagine it would be taking place during a global pandemic. Hopes of freedom that the promised driver’s license would provide at this age vanished, as the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles stopped offering road tests in mid-March as part of their efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Elliana Sylvia with her mother, Lisa. Photo / Facebook.

“I was very upset when the DMV road tests closed, so I knew I wanted to do something about it,” said Sylvia. “I decided it would be a fun idea to make a petition because I had seen many other people do it.”

The petition, hosted on Change.org, was just the start of Sylvia’s activism. With advice from her father, local chiropractor Jim Sylvia, Sylvia emailed North Carolina state Senator Jim Perry regarding the petition and the DMV road tests.

“Senator Perry recommended I make a video,” said Sylvia. The video she made got shared widely, as her perspective hit home for many North Carolina teens in the same situation.

In the video, Sylvia explains that “While so many of our freedoms have been taken away, this would allow us to work, babysit, take part-time jobs and volunteer when able.”

For most teens, getting their driver’s license is something they count down to, but are currently unable to. Sylvia makes the case for a bit of normalcy amongst the abnormal conditions of the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 26, at least four bills were filed in the N.C. General Assembly to address teen drivers. One of these bills, Senate Bill 843, proposes temporarily waiving the road test requirement for a Level 2 provisional license. Sen. Perry is one of the primary sponsors of the bill.

“Elliana Sylvia not only reached out to voice concern, she continued to follow up on this issue,” said Sen. Perry. “I heard from many people across the state, but she sent emails, made a video, and organized a petition to request relief from the Governor’s orders. We hope to move legislation next week that would basically provide a grace period on the road test in order to solve this issue. I am very proud of Elliana for her commitment on this issue.”

As for Sylvia, she said, “It’s pretty neat to think about how just me starting a petition could lead to so many teenagers getting their license.”