Winding, narrow Williams Road in Wallingford has an irresistible pull for a 16-year-old behind the wheel of a fast car.

Although fairly thickly settled, there's a feeling of being far from the eyes of cops and parents on this dark highway lined with thick maple and oak trees. Step on the gas and the hills thrill like the bumps on a roller coaster.

Last week, a 16-year-old driver and one of his two 15-year companions were killed here. The Nissan 350Z they were speeding in sailed over a hill crest and smashed into a tree, which is now a memorial covered with messages and wilted flowers.

Unfortunately, there's no law preventing newly licensed teenagers from driving sports cars. But we are in the midst of a remarkable moment of deep discussion about what parents and the government can do to prevent these tragedies.

"This is the year to make significant change," said Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Robert Ward, a veteran state politician who chairs the Governor's Task Force on Teen Driving.

There couldn't be a louder reminder of the most obvious bold action Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Ward and legislators should embrace this year.

Get 16-year-old drivers, who are twice as likely to crash as older ones, off the road.

We can't pass laws that will change the judgment of 16-year-olds who think it's fine to head out with a few 15-year-olds in the car and speed down a dark road. This year, though, politicians can make a tough decision that will save lives and taxpayers' money.

Move the age required for a learner's permit to 16 1/2 . Require a six-month — or longer — practice period so teenagers are 17 before they can get behind the wheel alone.

That will make a difference.

In the 1990s, when Connecticut started requiring up to six months of supervised driving for 16-year-olds, the number of fatal crashes dropped by 22 percent. Changes in Kentucky yielded similar results. When Nova Scotia clamped down on 16-year-olds, adding a six-month learner's permit and prohibiting nighttime driving for two years, there was a 37 percent drop in crashes. In Massachusetts, when they started yanking the licenses of new drivers after one moving violation, the number of fatal crashes dropped by more than a third.

"That's the high-risk age group," said Allan F. Williams, retired chief scientist with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "It's a no-brainer. Age 16 is a very high risk."

"The whole idea is to protect young drivers while they are learning. If you can get them to start later it will help," Williams told me. "It's a simple kind of thing."

Williams said a combination of changes will work. This includes no learner's permit before age 16, keeping them at the learner's stage for an extended period, expanding supervised practice driving and avoiding high-risk situations like driving at night and with other teenagers.

Amazingly, some lawmakers still don't get it. Among a group of six legislators who held a press conference to announce their own get-tough measures Thursday afternoon — including Transportation Committee Co-chairman Antonio Guerrera and state Sen. Sam Caligiuri — none were willing to publicly endorse raising the driving age to 17.

But the good news is that a growing movement is aligning behind the idea of raising the driving age. A subcommittee of the teen driving task force is discussing boosting the age for a learner's permit to 16 1/2 . With some prodding, Rell, who has provided real leadership here, may support this.

While critics often say that raising the driving age would be unpopular politically (and a pain for parents of busy high school kids), a recent statewide survey released by Rell's office suggests otherwise.

Rell's survey found overwhelming support for increasing the amount of supervised driving for teenagers before they get a license. There is also strong support from both parents and the general population for a longer learner's permit period.

On Williams Road, a friend of the dead boys hung up a forlorn paper sign the other day pleading with drivers to "Please Slow Down." Another message, among dozens taped to the tree, said "it's all shot to hell down here."

It sure feels that way when another teenage life ends abruptly. Now is the moment for the governor and legislature to approve swift, substantive change that will save lives.

Tell your legislators. Call the governor. It's a no-brainer.