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California Requires Teenagers to Get More Driving Experience

9 October 1997

Governor Signs Graduated Licensing Bill

             California's Law the Most Comprehensive in America;
                  Auto Crashes are A Leading Killer of Teens

    SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 9 -- Gov. Pete Wilson on Oct. 8
signed into law a bill requiring teenagers to have more driving experience
before being fully licensed.
    Starting July 1, 1998, the law will require those under 18 to hold an
instruction permit for at least six months, rather than the current 30 days,
before obtaining a provisional license.  Senate Bill 1329, by Sen. Tim Leslie,
R-Tahoe City, is sponsored by AAA clubs of Northern and Southern California.
    "Auto crashes are the second leading cause of death for California teens,"
said James P. Molinelli, president of the AAA affiliate of Northern
California.  "This law gives teens what they need:  time to practice and
develop safe driving skills, with less exposure to dangerous driving
situations.  It will save the lives of teenagers and their passengers."
    During the first six months of a teen's provisional license, no passengers
under 20 except for immediate family would be allowed unless a licensed driver
age 25 or older is present.
    During the first year of a teen's provisional license, driving between
midnight and 5 a.m. would be prohibited unless a licensed driver age 25 or
older is present, with exceptions for work, medical necessity, school events
and transporting immediate family.
    Parents must also certify that their teens have 50 hours of driving
practice -- 10 of which must be at night -- during the permit period.
Existing requirements for driver education and training remain unchanged.

    Advocates of the new law note that:
    * On average, a teen driver is killed every other day in California,
according to the California Highway Patrol.
    * Teens represent only 4 percent of licensed drivers, but make up 9
percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes and 10 percent of those injured
in collisions, according to the CHP.
    * Two-thirds of teens killed or injured in traffic crashes are passengers
driven by other teens, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
    * Nighttime driving is particularly dangerous; 4 percent of driving by
16- and 17-year-olds takes place between midnight and 5 a.m., yet drivers
these ages account for 13 percent of fatal crashes.

    The new law goes hand-in-hand with AAA's "Licensed to Learn: A Safety
Program for New Drivers," a nationwide campaign launched Sept. 23.  The
campaign seeks to improve young driver safety, increase parental involvement
in their teens' driving experience, and implement graduated licensing laws in
all 50 states.
    "Twenty states now have graduated licensing laws, but California's is the
most comprehensive in America," said Vernon C. Thompson, spokesman of the AAA
affiliate of Northern California.
    The new law, "The Brady/Jared Teen Driver Safety Act of 1997," is named
for Brady Grasinger and Jared Cunningham, two teens who were killed in
separate auto crashes in Southern California.
    The AAA affiliate for Northern California, Nevada and Utah serves nearly 4
million members with an array of automotive, travel and insurance services.

SOURCE  California State Automobile Association