SF Attorney on Stricter Teenage Driving Laws
State Laws Enacted To Protect Against Teenage Drivers
In the name of safety, states have begun enacting a variety of laws meant to restrict the driving privileges of teenage drivers, the New York Times reports. A 2010 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) report concluded that these enhanced restrictions significantly reduced the number of fatal crashes in the states that had them, though our San Francisco car accident attorneys appreciate that there are many competing issues at play with these laws.
The push for added restrictions on teenage drivers began with Florida, which, in 1996, passed a graduated licensing system. The current Florida system requires teens to maintain a learner’s license for at least one year before obtain a driver’s license and log 50 hours of driving experience. Pennsylvania recently establish the highest standard for practice driving, at 65 hours.
Teen Driving Laws Across the United States
Gradually, other states followed Florida’s lead. 43 states prohibit a teenage driver from driving with multiple other teens in the car, and 15 states (and the District of Columbia) prohibit the teen driver from having even one other teen in the vehicle, the Times reported. The IIHS recommends as statutory best practices: a minimum license age of 17, a minimum permit age of 16, at least 65 supervised practice hours, a night driving restriction starting at 8:00 p.m. and a ban on teen passengers. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the IIHS’s study indicated that its best practices would save 500 lives and 9,500 crashes each year.
New Jersey, which has long had the highest driver’s licensing age, at 17, has taken extra steps. The state requires teen drivers to place a red decal on their vehicle’s license plates, and the state is considering making parents take a driver education course, according to the Times report. Some New Jersey parents see the decal law itself as presenting a safety risk. Gregg D. Troutmann, who launched an unsuccessful court challenge to the New Jersey decal law on privacy grounds, told the Times that he instructs his teenage daughter to drive without the decal, believing that his daughter’s driving a marked vehicle could make her a target of sexual predators.
When Teen Drivers Crash, It’s Other People Who Die
Some see the new laws as needed reform to increase roadway safety. “We don’t want to say that teens are a menace to us all, but the reality is, when teen drivers crash, it’s people in other cars or teen passengers who end up dying,” Justin McNaull, director of state relations for AAA, told the Times.
Others, though, see the rules as unfairly targeting a politically powerless group, since 16 and 17-year-olds cannot vote. Though several states have restrictions on the elderly, who vote in larger percentage numbers than any other group. Another 18 states have shortened renewal period for seniors’ licenses, eight make elderly drivers take vision tests at each renewal, and Illinois and New Hampshire require drivers age 75 and older to take a road test at each renewal.
California’s Teenage Driving Laws
California currently has a provisional licensing system for drivers age 16-18. Under the California law, a parent or guardian must accompany a 16 and 17-year-old driver, for the first 12 months, when the teen is carrying passengers under 20 years of age, or is driving between the hours of 11:00 p.m and 5:00 a.m.
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Boone Callaway is a personal injury & medical malpractice lawyer in San Francisco who has been working with clients in the Bay Area for over 25 years. Mr. Callaway is one of only a few personal injury litigators in San Francisco who is a Super Lawyer, AV Rated and is also a member of ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocates.
