Driving teens crazy: passenger laws put the brakes on teen drivers

1 Comment | Current Events, Nov 4, 2005

Are you an accident waiting to happen? You are if you're a teen behind the wheel.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. In 2003, more than 5,200 teens were killed in car crashes, and 458,000 teens were injured.

Though most states already have some sort of graduated license program that slowly expands driving privileges, many states hope to further curb teen driving privileges with strict passenger limits.

As of Jan. 1, 2006, teen drivers in California can't have passengers in the car without an adult present until they've had their licenses for six months. Rhode Island also ramped up restrictions on teens. A new law there limits teen drivers to one passenger for their first year of driving; violators are charged with a moving violation and fined. Maryland has a similar new law on the books, but teens have to wait 18 months before friends can go along for the ride.

Curbing Their Enthusiasm

Rhode Island teen David Piccirilli was looking forward to getting his license next year, but not anymore. "I think it kind of kills getting a license," he told The Providence Journal. "When you think about having a license, you think of taking all your friends out and driving around and having some privacy."

The new law also upset Joseph Teno, a senior at Rhode Island's Portsmouth High School. "I was angry about it," he told East Bay Newspapers. He doesn't see the sense in limiting teens' passengers--it only puts more teen drivers on the road. Plus, he says, such laws are tough on kids' wallets; now he has to spend more money on gas and parking.

Hilary Heubeck, 16, of Baltimore, Md., doesn't think it's fair that all teens are punished because some young drivers are reckless. "Not everybody is stupid," she told The Washington Post. "I don't think most kids ... are taking 20 to 30 kids in their cars and having a party."

Safety Is Key

Teen concerns take a backseat to safety, say supporters of passenger limits. To them, the numbers say it all. According to the National Safety Council, novice drivers are more likely to get into accidents if there are teen passengers in the car. Just one teen passenger raises the risk by 50 percent; with three or more passengers, the risk is three times as high.

William Bronrott, a sponsor of the new laws in the Maryland legislature, says his state isn't out to get teens. "Our point is deterrence and safe driving, not to institute a new set of highly punitive laws" he told The Washington Post.

Not all teens are against the new laws. Natalie Tore, a 16-year-old from Rhode Island, thinks passenger laws are a good idea. "Sometimes ... kids my age ... act irresponsible and get loud and are distracting," she told The Providence Journal.

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Driving Teen, s Crazy

Get Talking

Ask students: Why might teens be more prone to auto accidents than other drivers? Should there be restrictions on teen drivers? Why or why not?

Notes Behind the News

* According to Edmunds.com, people ages 16 to 20 have the highest traffic-related fatality rate of any age group. Though people ages 16 to 20 make up only 6 percent of drivers in the United States and drive only 3 percent of all miles driven, they are involved in 15 percent of traffic deaths. A 16-year-old driver is 20 times as likely to have a traffic accident than the general population.

* Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia limit teen passengers for teen drivers.

* The National Safety Council reports that young drivers are more likely to engage in hazardous activities such as swerving, running red lights, or speeding, when their peers are in the car.

* A recent study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that teens are more likely to drive dangerously if accompanied by a teenage male. The study, published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, was based on the observation of 471 teen drivers near the campuses of 10 high schools in suburban Washington, D.C. Researchers found that, while 14.9 percent of teenage boys and 13.1 percent of teenage girls were seen driving dangerously, 25 percent of all teen drivers traveling more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit had a male passenger.

Doing More

Have students use the Internet to research teen driving requirements in their state. Ask: Where might you be able to find such information?