Safe Roads 4 Teens

TEEN DRIVING INCENTIVE GRANT PROGRAMS INCLUDED IN FINAL CONFERENCE REPORT OF THE MOVING AHEAD FOR PROGRESS IN THE 21st CENTURY ACT!

An incentive grant program to encourage state adoption of lifesaving teen driving safety laws was included in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which was signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012.

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety held a press conference on Thursday, May 31 to discuss the crucial need for safety provisions in the surface transportation reauthorization legislation currently under consideration by a Congressional Conference Committee.

Click here for the full press kit.

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Senate Passes Surface Transportation Reauthorization Legislation

S. 1813 Includes Incentive Grant Program to Encourage Stronger State Laws for Teen Drivers

On March 14, the U.S. Senate passed their version of the long-awaited surface transportation reauthorization legislation.  This legislation includes a new incentive grant program aimed at encouraging states to strengthen their Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws for teen drivers.  The provisions included in this incentive grant program are similar to the provisions of the STANDUP Act (S. 528 / H.R. 1813).  This is an important step toward ensuring that every teen, in every state enjoys the lifesaving benefits of a strong, comprehensive GDL program.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety issued a press release that includes the following statement:

"The Senate today significantly advanced highway and auto safety when it passed a two-year, $109 billion surface transportation authorization bill, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21), S.1813. The strong, bipartisan safety legislation, if enacted into law, will prevent crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and save billions of dollars.  ...

In 2010, more than 5,000 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers, at an enormous emotional and economic cost to families and communities. Yet, state teen driving laws, often called Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs, vary greatly from state to state, creating a patchwork of laws in which some novice teen drivers are better protected than others.  S. 1813 will create an incentive grant program aimed at reducing the deadly consequences of inexperienced teen driving by encouraging state adoption of effective laws."

Read the full press release

Read a summary of all the safety provisions included in S. 1813

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Why Saferoads4teens?

The crisis of teen crashes 

A promising remedy 

Research has shown that a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program is an effective method for reducing the crash risk of new drivers. GDL programs introduce teens to the driving experience gradually by phasing in full driving privileges over time and in lower risk settings. Effective GDL laws have multiple components, including a three-stage licensing process and restrictions on nighttime driving, number and age of passengers, and cell phone usage. Research shows that states with strong GDL laws have experienced a reduction in teen driver crashes of up to 40%, and the longer licensure is delayed, the better.

The need for federal action

State GDL laws vary widely with regard to the components included and the strength of the restrictions. This has resulted in an uneven patchwork of stronger and weaker GDL laws across the nation. The federal practice of withholding a percentage of Highway Trust Fund monies from states until they have adopted key lifesaving highway safety laws – known as “sanctions” – has worked effectively to speed up the process of passing state laws and create a uniform safety policy across all 50 states and D.C. This practice has been successful on a number of important issues, such as establishing 21 as the minimum legal drinking age; establishing the allowable blood alcohol concentration level for drivers at .08%; and establishing a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking and driving. With the use of federal sanctions, all 50 states passed these laws in the time allowed, and no state lost money. Even more importantly, these laws are credited with saving more than 25,000 lives. Using this approach to improve state GDL laws would ultimately lead to a reduction in teen driver crashes and related deaths.

The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act (also called the STANDUP Act) would establish minimum requirements for state GDL laws:
 

• A 3-stage licensing process (learner’s permit and intermediate stage before unrestricted driver’s license);
 

• A prohibition on unsupervised nighttime driving during the learner’s permit and intermediate stages;
 

• A passenger restriction during the learner’s permit and intermediate stage (no more than 1 non-familial passenger under the age of 21 unless a licensed driver over 21 years of age is in the vehicle);

• A prohibition on non-emergency use of cell phones and other communication devices, including text messaging, during the learner’s permit and intermediate stages;

• Age 16 for issuance of learner’s permit and full licensure at age 18;

• Any other requirement adopted by the Secretary of Transportation, including learner’s permit holding period at least 6 months; intermediate stage at least 6 months; at least 30 hours behind-the-wheel, supervised driving by licensed driver 21 years of age or older; automatic delay of full licensure if permit holder commits an offense, such as DWI, misrepresentation of true age, reckless driving, unbelted driving, speeding, or other violations as determined by the Secretary.