Teen driving act to be reintroduced in Congress

In 2009, over 3,400 teens were killed in motor vehicle accidents, which represents 10 percent of all vehicle fatalities. To help address the problem and reduce deaths, a new teen driving act is being reintroduced in Congress after it was stalled last year and supporters are hoping this will be the year it will finally get passed.

The STANDUP Act (Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act) sponsored by Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and others in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate would establish a national minimum requirement for graduated drivers' license (GDL) laws. States that adopt these requirements would receive grants to help with enforcement and education. In order to incentivize states to pass the minimum GDL law, the states that fail to comply in the first three years would lose federal highway funds. A similar approach has been used in the past to push states to pass laws establishing 21 as the legal drinking age, a .08 percent legal blood alcohol level, and a zero tolerance policy for underage drinking and driving.

Here are some of the details of the bill:

• Three stages of licensing--learner's permit, intermediate stage, and full licensure.
• Age 16 to be the earliest age to get a learner's permit.
• No nighttime driving while unsupervised during the learner's permit and intermediate stages, until full licensure at age 18.
• No driving while using a cell phone.
• Full licensure should occur no earlier than age 18.
• A restriction on passengers to no more than one non-family passenger under age 21, unless a licensed driver over age 21 is in the vehicle. This would be in place until full licensure.

Opponents of the bill want the states to continue to determine teen licensing regulations, since they argue that driving in New Jersey is much different than driving in rural states such as North Dakota--the only state without a GDL program and where teens can get a permit at age 14. A CNN article mentions that there may be exceptions for teens in farm and rural areas.

New Jersey has one of the strongest GDL laws in the country and the only one where teens need to be 17 to move to the intermediate stage.

To see the current GDL laws in your state, see the list from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which also rates the state's programs on a scale from Poor to Good. Thirty-seven states rate Good, seven Fair, and seven Marginal. There are no Poor scores.

Enhanced GDL laws outlined in the STANDUP Act would also help to address the problem of teen distracted driving, as a cell-phone ban is included in the bill. Distracted driving among our nation's youth was the focus of an event earlier in the week with Consumer Reports and the Department of Transportation. The two organizations unveiled a new pamphlet that will be distributed to parents and educators to talk to teens about the dangers of distracted driving.

Currently 30 states ban texting while driving and nine states, plus the District of Columbia, ban handheld cell phone use. Further, cell phone use by novice drivers is restricted in 28 states, plus D.C., and eight states ban texting for new drivers. Consumers Union supports the new STANDUP Act for stronger GDL laws and enhanced enforcement to help reduce the unnecessary deaths that claim young lives every day.

--Liza Barth

For more on teen driving, see our guide to distracted driving and teen safety.