Sixteen-year-old Rich Meehan is happy to hit the road this summer with his new driver’s license. He’s just frustrated by all the detours.

As a new driver in Connecticut, Rich can’t take his high school buddies for rides. He can’t drive home from parties after midnight. A state law that took effect Aug. 1 tightened rules on the newest young drivers even more, with an earlier curfew of 11 p.m.

“Nobody likes to be held back for that long,” Rich said. “That’s one of the most exciting parts of getting your license: being able to go places with your friends. I would like to take my girlfriend out. And I can’t do that.”

Borrowing the car keys from Mom and Dad — an American rite of passage that dates to the age of jalopies — is not what it used to be.

Connecticut is not alone in clamping down on young drivers — a group that is statistically the most dangerous on the road. Dozens of safety measures aimed at teen drivers have been either considered or adopted in the last few years around the nation. Many states have restricted the rights of the youngest drivers to get behind the wheel late at night (except for work) and limited their ability to carry non-family passengers.

Studies show these “graduated licenses” save lives.

Just a few recent examples:

• On Aug. 1, Connecticut started suspending the licenses of 16-and 17-year-olds convicted of talking on cell phones (30 days), speeding (60 days) or street racing (one year).

• California on July 1 banned handsfree devices for drivers under 18.

• Alabama this year considered new curfews and a cell phone ban for the youngest drivers.

• New York is looking at a ban on iPods and all other electronic devices for drivers under 18, and an optional, yellow Safe-Teen-NY Driver sticker for parents to put on cars with young drivers.

“Our teens are at risk every time they get behind the wheel,” a press release introducing the New York bills explained.

Dissenting voices are few — how can you be against saving young lives? — but there are some who see excesses in the bumper crop of new measures. And it’s not just the kids, or parents grumbling about having to chauffeur high schoolers from parties.

In Connecticut, Rich Meehan has his father in his corner. The elder Meehan, a criminal defense lawyer in Bridgeport who is also named Richard, said his fifth son is a responsible student and athlete. He said people don’t realize that the suspensions can be costly to parents in terms of higher insurance rates. And the harsh penalties create the risk of producing a “generation of suspended drivers.”

“Thirty days for picking up a passenger in your car, 30 days for picking up your cell phone or even having a handsfree earpiece in your ears,” Meehan said. “It’s a little draconian, I think.”