Herricks Indo-US Community BLOG

Both as a father and as a superintendent, I have long had serious concerns about the risks involved in the mix of teenagers and cars. Over the past decade, there has been progress in New York State, but the progress has been slow and the measures significantly less restrictive than legislation passed in the vast majority of states. New York and New Hampshire are, for example, the only states in which teenagers can get their licenses in fewer than six months.

            Thanks to new Federal legislation mandating minimum standards for all states in return for the Federal transportation they receive, this may soon change. Under a bill currently being discussed in Albany, the following new rules would be implemented for teenage drivers.

·        The number of nonfamily passengers under age 21 in a car driven by a teenager would be restricted to one.

·        Electronic devices – hand-held or otherwise – would be banned for teen drivers.

·        Practice time would be increased to 50 hours, with at least 15 hours at night, before a road test for a license can be taken. Currently, 20 hours are required, and 39 states require more training than New York, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

·        Road tests could not be scheduled for at least six months after a teenager obtains a driver’s permit.

One additional requirement of the Federal rules, which is currently not included in the proposed New York State legislation, is that teenagers not be permitted to get a full, unrestricted license until they reach the age of 18. Full licenses remove all restrictions on night-time driving and passengers.

            Research over the past decade has dramatically underscored the dangers of teenagers driving while distracted – cell phones, multiple teenage passengers, iPods, food, etc. – as well as the importance of extended practice. This new legislation simply codifies what makes sense for teenage drivers, for their passengers and for other drivers on the road.

            The statistics are sobering. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers. Teenage drivers are twice as likely to die as adult drivers. Furthermore, 16 year old drivers are three times as likely to have an accident as 17 year olds and five times more likely than 18 year olds.