Tighter restrictions on new drivers make sense (Battle Creek Enquirer, 12-8-10)
Editorial, The Battle Creek Enquirer
When Michigan began its graduated driver's license program in 1997, it was considered among the most comprehensive of the dozen or so states that had implemented tiered systems. The idea was to gradually lift restrictions on newly licensed drivers as they gained experience behind the wheel.
An Insurance Institute of Highway Safety analysis cited Michigan's program as a major factor in a 25 percent decline in accidents involving 16-year-old drivers between 1996 and 1999.
Today, 46 states and the District of Columbia have graduated driver's license programs, several of which address driver distractions, such as the number of passengers in a vehicle, cell-phone usage, texting while driving, etc.
Now Michigan lawmakers have taken an important step toward updating the state's laws to address some of those issues.
Both the House and Senate recently approved legislation limiting how many passengers drivers with level 2 intermediate licenses can carry. Level 2 drivers generally are teens who have recently obtained the privilege of driving without adult supervision.
Under the new law, they will not be allowed to have more than one passenger under age 21 in the vehicle except for family members or when driving to or from school and school-sanctioned events. The law recognizes the need of some families for teen drivers to transport siblings, as well as taking friends to school. But it prohibits new drivers from
packing their vehicle with kids for a joy ride or a night on the town - scenarios that are far more likely to lead to accidents.
In testifying in support of the legislation earlier this year, C. Raymond Bingham, head of the Young Driver Behavior and Injury Prevention Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, said teenage passengers dramatically increase the chance that a new driver will be involved in a crash.
The new law also tightens the curfew for new drivers, who cannot be on the road between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult or traveling to or from a job. The law had banned new drivers between midnight and 5 a.m.
We think both the load limit and earlier hours will help deter teens from making unwise decisions that could jeopardize the safety of themselves and others.
An Insurance Institute of Highway Safety analysis cited Michigan's program as a major factor in a 25 percent decline in accidents involving 16-year-old drivers between 1996 and 1999.
Today, 46 states and the District of Columbia have graduated driver's license programs, several of which address driver distractions, such as the number of passengers in a vehicle, cell-phone usage, texting while driving, etc.
Now Michigan lawmakers have taken an important step toward updating the state's laws to address some of those issues.
Both the House and Senate recently approved legislation limiting how many passengers drivers with level 2 intermediate licenses can carry. Level 2 drivers generally are teens who have recently obtained the privilege of driving without adult supervision.
Under the new law, they will not be allowed to have more than one passenger under age 21 in the vehicle except for family members or when driving to or from school and school-sanctioned events. The law recognizes the need of some families for teen drivers to transport siblings, as well as taking friends to school. But it prohibits new drivers from
packing their vehicle with kids for a joy ride or a night on the town - scenarios that are far more likely to lead to accidents.
In testifying in support of the legislation earlier this year, C. Raymond Bingham, head of the Young Driver Behavior and Injury Prevention Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, said teenage passengers dramatically increase the chance that a new driver will be involved in a crash.
The new law also tightens the curfew for new drivers, who cannot be on the road between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult or traveling to or from a job. The law had banned new drivers between midnight and 5 a.m.
We think both the load limit and earlier hours will help deter teens from making unwise decisions that could jeopardize the safety of themselves and others.
