New Teen Driver Law Takes Effect Wednesday
1 July 1998
New Teen Driver Law Takes Effect Wednesday
LOS ANGELES--July 1, 1998--A new state law taking effect Wednesday will require teenagers to have more driving experience before they obtain drivers' licenses.The Graduated Driver License (GDL) system, co-sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California and the California State Automobile Association (CSAA) in northern California, is designed to reduce teen crashes and save lives.
"Teens are vastly overrepresented in car crash deaths and injuries," said Alice Bisno, legislative director for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "We want to give teens more experience behind the wheel, so more of them will return home safely. We hope this new law also will encourage parents to become more involved in teaching their teens to drive so they can spot and correct bad driving habits."
To date, 21 states have Graduated Driver License systems, according to Bisno, and legislation is pending in 11 others. The national AAA goal is to have a GDL system in all 50 states by the year 2000.
"California now has the toughest GDL law," said Paul Moreno of CSAA. "With the state's teen population expected to increase by one-third over the next ten years, the Auto Clubs did not want the number of teen driver deaths and injuries to increase, too. We want teens to have more driving experience so they become better and safer drivers."
California's Graduated Driver License system adds new requirements to teen driving laws. Teens between the ages of 16 and 18 must:
-- complete 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night while holding an instruction permit. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed.
-- not carry passengers under the age of 20 unless a licensed driver aged 25 or older is present for the first six months of a provisional license (obtained after holding an instruction permit for six months).
-- not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. for the first 12 months of a provisional license.
The Auto Clubs co-sponsored the GDL legislation, which was authored by Sen. Tim Leslie (R-Carnelian Bay), because 18,000 California teen drivers and an additional 18,000 teen passengers are killed or injured in vehicle crashes each year. While teens between the ages of 15 and 19 make up only 4% of licensed drivers, according to club statistics, they are the drivers in 9% of fatal car crashes and 10% of injury crashes. Less than 4% of the miles driven by 16 and 17 year-olds occur between midnight and 5 a.m., but 13% of their fatal crashes occur during those hours.
"The simple fact is that teens need more time behind the wheel to become better drivers," said Bisno. "We need to stop putting our young people at risk and help them become road safe."
GDL is part of a larger effort by the two California Auto Clubs and national AAA called "Licensed to Learn: A Safety Program for New Drivers." The effort includes a video called "Teaching Your Teens to Drive" and a new driver education program to be unveiled next year.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
