Legislator seeks to make teen drivers safer

By: Cara Latham
   A local legislator is proposing the creation of a new teenage driver safety study commission to examine whether more can be done to prevent teen drivers from getting into serious accidents.
   Assemblyman Joseph Malone, R-30th, said the commission would be a follow-up to the state’s graduated driver’s license law, which he sponsored, that places restrictions on new drivers.
   With the Graduated License Program, teens can get a driver’s permit at age 16, which allows them to drive only under the supervision of another passenger 21 years of age or older, with whom they live and who has been a driver for at least three years. Those with permits cannot drive from 11:01 p.m. to 5 a.m.
   Once the permit stage of at least six months is completed, the drivers must obtain a provisional license, which allows them to drive by themselves. They cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. and cannot carry more than one passenger who lives outside of their household. At 18 years old, they can get an unrestricted license.
   The commission would be made up of 13 members — five members appointed by the governor, one of which would be a driving school association member; four members appointed by the Senate president; and four members appointed by the speaker of the General Assembly, said Mr. Malone.
   The bill was passed by the Assembly and now sits in the Senate.
   "It’s been shown that the graduated driver’s license has actually cut down on fatalities," said Mr. Malone. "I just think that driving responsibilities and the potential for serious harm are so great with (young) drivers, that I just think it’s imperative" to probe further, he said.
   The number of recorded fatalities of teenage drivers ages 16 to 20 went from 127 in 2002 to 101 in 2005, according to state police fatal accident statistics. The Graduated License Program went into effect in New Jersey on Jan. 1, 2001.
   The commission would take input from everyone including teenagers, parents, relatives and other citizens, Mr. Malone said. It would also look into the effectiveness of already existing programs and whether more training and drinking and driving programs could be implemented.
   Mr. Malone said he wanted another "fresh set of eyes" to look at the situation, and to see if there are other ways legislators can better help young drivers.
   He added that if he had a preconceived notion of the further driving rules that could be implemented, he wouldn’t have suggested the creation of the commission, but wants to take input from around the state first.
   "It’s just a whole range of things that I think we, as adults, have to look at," he said. "Most kids think they’re immortal. I think that we need to reasonably and rationally talk to young people about the dangers involved" with driving.
   One of the things he wants the commission to look at is the time teenagers spend receiving instruction behind the wheel.
   "The thing that bothers me the most is that we spend a lot of time training and educating kids, and we don’t spend enough time as we should in driver training," he said, adding that perhaps students could learn behind-the-wheel training while at school. "I think that if you could increase time behind the wheel as instruction, I think we should."
   Mr. Malone also said the commission should look into holding seminars six months prior to young drivers receiving their full licenses at 18 years old.
   "All of us could take those courses," he added.
   When asked if he thought the nighttime driving restrictions should be expanded, Mr. Malone said that if there is a legal purpose for them to be out after midnight, he does not see a problem with their driving.
   "But if they’re just out clowning around, then I don’t think it’s necessary," he said.
   And while others had already criticized the Graduated License Program’s restrictions, Mr. Malone said some might become angry with any further restrictions, but that he is willing to accept that some might think he is being too intrusive.
   "I’d rather have somebody angry at me for doing too much than somebody being angry at me for doing too little," he said.