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New graduated license proposal in Kentucky limits teen drivers in order to foster safety
February 18, 2004
By
Karen Meiman
Brakes, accelerators, ringing cell phones, rowdy passengers and car speakers blaring the latest tunes all fall on the same deadly list.
They can be a young driver's worst enemies.
The Kentucky State Police used that list as a lesson outline in its "Drive to Stay Alive" campaign last summer with 23 teen drivers from 21 high schools.
The teens learned about using seatbelts and steering wheels more and cell phones and brakes less, how to pull a car out of a skid and how to brake under control and all about off road recovery and impaired driving.
They were selected from counties with high teen traffic crashes and fatality rates. When they completed the course, they returned to their schools to share what they learned.
Lt. Lisa Rudzinski watched the teens during their five days of classroom and hands-on driving instruction and saw the main problem they had behind the wheel.
"The one thing they had in common was simply inexperience," Rudzinski said.
A bill before the General Assembly is aimed at ensuring teens gain more experience behind the wheel before they take to the road. Rep. Thomas Burch, D-Louisville, is sponsor of the proposed changes to Kentucky's graduated driver's license law that would:
• Create a six-month intermediate license at age 16 ½.
• Require a statement signed by a parent or guardian certifying the teen had completed 60 hours of driving, including 10 hours at night, under the supervision of a licensed driver age 21 or older before the license would be issued.
• Prohibit teens age 16 ½ to 18 from driving between midnight and 6 a.m. unless a job or a valid school activity required it.
• Prohibit the young drivers from having more than two passengers under age 18.
Burch's bill, House Bill 85, is posted for passage in the House.
Opposition to more restrictions on teen drivers centers on concerns about hardships placed on families with teen drivers, particularly in rural areas. Teen-agers also question the fairness of having to wait longer for full driving privileges.
Burch also sponsored Kentucky's initial graduated driver's license law passed in 1996.
That law lengthened the time between a driver earning a learner's permit and taking the driver's license exam from one month to six months, required formal driving training and established a zero tolerance policy on drinking and driving.
In the first three years since its passage, the crash rate for 16-year-olds dropped more than 33 percent. Burch believes his changes will decrease the death rate even further.
Publication
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Source: Kentucky Post www.kypost.com/2004/02/18/kylifemain021804.html
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