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Klobuchar Announces Legislation to Improve Teen Driver Safety

Bill will require increased preparation and education for young drivers In 2008, over half of U.S. motor vehicle fatalities were teens

April 28, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that she is introducing legislation with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) to better prepare teen drivers and improve safety on America’s roads and highways.  The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND UP) Act will establish national standards for all states to implement Graduated Drivers License (GDL) programs that help teens become safe, responsible drivers.  Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of American teens and crashes involving teen drivers claimed 544 lives in Minnesota over the past five years.

“Every parent knows how scary it is when their child begins driving.  Becoming a safe driver requires experience and practice,” said Klobuchar.  “The STAND UP Act will require young drivers to focus on learning how to drive responsibly and remove dangerous distractions that often lead to accidents.  This bill will help make our roads safer and save lives.”

Nationally, more than 84,000 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers since 1999.  In 2008, nearly 6,500 people were killed in car accidents involving young drivers. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 years old are four times more likely to get in a crash than older drivers per mile driven.

Research shows that GDLs are an effective method for reducing the crash risk of new drivers by introducing teens to the driving experience gradually, phasing in full driving privileges over time in lower risk settings and learning to eliminate distractions that cause accidents.  While every state has some version of a GDL system, the requirements vary widely and are weaker in some states. 

The STAND UP Act would call on states to establish GDL systems with minimum requirements:

• A 3-stage licensing process – from learner’s permit, to intermediate stage, to full, non-restricted drivers licensing;
• Prohibit night driving during learner’s permit and intermediate stage;
• Passenger restrictions during learner’s permit and intermediate stage. No more than one non-family member under the age of 21 may travel with a learning teenage driver, unless a licensed driver over the age of 21 is in the vehicle;
• Prohibit non-emergency use of cell phones and other communication devices, including text messaging, during the learner’s permit and intermediate stages;
• Learner’s permits to be issued at age 16 and non-restricted drivers licenses to be issued at age 18;
• Any other requirement set by the Secretary of Transportation, including: learner’s permit holding period of at least six months; intermediate stage of at least six months; at least 30 hours of driving supervised by a licensed driver 21 years old or older; automatic delay of full licensure if permit holder commits an offense, such as a DWI, misrepresentation of age, reckless driving, driving without a seatbelt, speeding, or other violations determined by the Transportation Secretary.

Currently Minnesota has a GDL law that meets most of these standards, but the STAND UP Act would further improve teen driver safety in Minnesota by:

• Requiring age 16 for entry into the learner’s permit stage;
• Strengthening the prohibition on unsupervised nighttime driving by extending it for the entire intermediate stage through age 17;
• Strengthening the passenger restriction to prohibit more than one non-familial passenger under the age of 21 unless a licensed driver over age 21 is in the vehicle, for the entire intermediate stage through age 17.

The STAND UP Act would provide funding to help give states the resources they need to put new standards in place – from enforcing standards, to training law enforcement, to publishing new educational materials.  States would have a three-year window to establish this set of minimum requirements or risk losing federal highway funding. 

 

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