Teen driver laws frustrate some; officials say they save lives
Kristen Miller, 17, of Shelton, got her license in July. She would like to be able to drive her 14-year-old sister to high school. But her sister has to take the bus. That's because state driving laws restrict teens from driving siblings or friends.
Under the law, teens cannot drive their siblings until they've had their license for at least seven months.
She said their parents understand it's against the law.
"But sometimes they wish I could drive her. If we have a doctor's appointment after school or she needs something from the store, we could just go together," said Miller.
Miller admitted she has broken the rule before, and while she wasn't caught by the police, she did face consequences.
"I actually drove one of my friends. My mom found out. I got in so much trouble," said Miller. "I got my car taken away. So now I have to tell them (her friends), `I can't drive you. You're just going to have to find your own way around now.' "
She said it's frustrating when some parents enforce the rules, like hers, and others don't.
As the state enters its fourth year with stricter teen driving laws -- graduated licensing rules that remain the toughest in the country -- officials say they have been successful in decreasing the number of crashes and deaths involving teen drivers.
But the latest statistics from the Department of Transportation show that the number of convictions for breaking the passenger restriction and curfew laws increased from 2009 to 2010 and are on pace to increase again in 2011.
While state officials say the restrictions save lives, some parents and teens say they are too extreme.
The changes to teen driving laws, implemented following a series of high-profile fatal crashes in 2007, include prohibiting newly licensed teens from driving with anyone other than a parent or guardian with a license for the first six months they have their license. They can't drive with any other teens for the first year. The changes also included moving the driving curfew from midnight to 11 p.m., increased fines and license suspensions for violators, and doubling the amount of behind-the-wheel training required for teens.
Car Insurance For Teen Driver - News
A few days later I hear from the insurance agent how it was all our fault that this teenage girl who has been in several accidents now had backed up and hit our stationary parked car. It appears that "daddy" was trying to pull one of his own,
Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman William Seymour, who also runs the state's Teen Driving Center, has a simple response to parents who allow their children to skirt the rules. "How many members of your family are you willing to risk losing?
Such programs involve a multistage process that gradually eases restrictions on teen drivers as they gain maturity and driving experience. Allstate Foundation is a nonprofit community service arm of Chicago insurance giant Allstate.
Parents and teens meeting with the family's lawyer, accountant and insurance agent and discussing both the direct and indirect costs that accidents and teen driving violations can have on families. * A doctor talking to teens and parents about how
For example, some devices will block the use of cellphones in a moving car, often used for teenage drivers. Insurers are also starting to introduce optional "telematic" devices, which, once installed on a vehicle, collect data about your driving habits
Online Auto Insurance: Report Highlights Dangers Posed by Teenage
( PRLEAP.COM ) A new National Safety Council/Allstate Foundation report that calls for nationwide adoption of strict rules on teen driving underscores the risks that continue to be posed by young people behind the wheel, according to Online Auto Insurance (OAI).
Statistics show that younger motorists are far more likely than other drivers to cause vehicle accidents, a fact that has prompted many states to restrict teen driving and has long made cheap car insurance for teenagers practically unavailable for most.
On a per-mile basis, teen motorists “are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers,” according to federal safety officials.
Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), younger drivers are dangerous because of a combination of immaturity and a lack of the sort of judgment that can be gotten only through experience in the driver’s seat.
That’s why beginning motorists are more liable to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, talking on cell phones while driving and paying insufficient attention to the road.
The National Safety Council and Allstate Foundation support legislation currently in Congress that would require states to implement strict graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) programs in order to be eligible for millions of dollars in federal transportation funding.
Most states already have GDL programs, which require young people to work harder and longer in order to achieve full driving privileges and impose restrictions including when and with whom teens are allowed to drive. But not all programs are equally rigorous.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), states with the strictest GDL requirements have seen reductions of more than one-third in both fatal and injury crashes involving 16-year-old drivers.
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