COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The state's youngest drivers would have to go through more training before getting a regular license under a bill sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

Sen. Joel Lourie said he wants four and half hours of defensive driver training added to the mandatory driver training for people under 17 before they get regular driver's licenses.

Lourie, D-Columbia, cited Department of Public Safety data showing that during the last three years, 15- and 16- year-olds contributed to or caused 6,540 accidents involving injuries while driving with provisional or restricted licenses.

''I just think that a little more training and education on the front end might save some lives, save some accidents and make our roads safer for everyone, but particularly our young people,'' Lourie said.

The course would be added to 30 hours in high school classes or the eight hours private driver training companies give in the classroom, Lourie said.

Lourie went through one of the courses offered by the National Safety Council, which uses videos showing horrible accidents and grieving family members and friends. Teenagers were struck by how their driving mistakes or carelessness could affect their parents and siblings, Lourie said.

If the bill is approved in South Carolina, the state Department of Public Safety would set the standards for the program.

Fifteen South Carolina high schools voluntarily offer a teenage defensive driving course through the National Safety Council. Brook Russell, the council's state executive director, said the course costs the students $35, while similar, private courses can cost several times that amount.

Colorado has used a similar program for 13 years and fatalities have fallen among teenage drivers by 15 percent, Russell said