Texas Governor Holds Ceremonial Signing for New Teen Driving Law

    AUSTIN, Texas--July 6, 2001--A ceremonial signing of the Texas Graduated Driver License (GDL) bill (SB 577) was held in Governor Rick Perry's office this afternoon. Parents, legislators and members of the GDL coalition attended the historic event. Governor Perry told the group that the Graduated Driver License Bill was one of the most important bills passed this session. Following the signing, the House sponsor, Representative Joe Driver held a news conference with Representative Judy Hawley and other supporters of the bill in the Speaker's Committee Room.
    Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Texas teens. "This lifesaving program has been proven to significantly reduce crashes in other states, and we believe it will work for Texas too," said AAA Texas Public and Government Affairs Manager and GDL Coalition Chairperson Anne O'Ryan. In 1999, more than 60,000 Texas teens were involved in traffic crashes. States with a Graduated Driver License program have seen teen crashes rates drop between 19 to 35 percent.
    The Graduated Driver License law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2002, phases-in teen driving privileges. "Poor judgment and immaturity are responsible for 95 percent of teen crashes," said O'Ryan. "The Texas Graduated Driver License program will give our teens an extra six months to practice and comprehend the complexities of driving, before being exposed to the highest-risk situations which involve nighttime driving and teen passengers." Statistics show that 40 percent of teen driver crashes occur at night. Additionally, two-thirds of the teen passengers killed or injured in a crash were in a vehicle driven by another teen. Under the new law and during the first six months of licensing, driving between 12 midnight and 5 a.m. will be restricted, unless it is for a medical emergency, employment, or school-related activities. Also, during that time the driver will be limited to one teen passenger under 21, with the exception of family members.
    The GDL grassroots coalition included AAA Texas; Children's Hospital Association of Texas; Children's Medical Center of Dallas; Emergency Physicians; MADD, National Transportation Safety Board; Texas PTA; Texas Family Physicians; USAA and hundreds of active individual supporters.