The law shortens nighttime driving and extends passenger constraint. Lawmakers want to reduce the number of teen driving-related deaths.
By Max Taves / Special to The Malibu Times
A state law that went into effect on Jan. 1 imposes new restrictions for teenage drivers with provisional licenses. The law amends the Graduated Driver Licensing law of 1998 by reducing nighttime driving by one hour and extending the period during which teen drivers cannot drive alone with other young people. The new law is intended to reduce teenage driving-related deaths and injuries.
Colin Danaher, a 14-year-old Malibu resident, said he understands how the nighttime restriction makes sense, but he said he doesn’t think the passenger restriction will be as effective.
“The friends that I know would be more cautious with a new driver because they would know that their lives depend on it,” Danaher said.
Danaher’s father, Tony, said he welcomes the law because it gives teenagers an extra six months of driving experience and shields them from peer pressure.
“There’s a propensity to focus less when you’re with friends…. Any way we can add more experience for kids driving is good,” Tony Danaher said. “Even at the expense of the extra driving it might mean for me, it’s a good law.”
According to state crash statistics, teen drivers are significantly more likely to be injured and killed than adults. DMV data show that drivers under the age of 18 are two times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident and three times more likely to be injured in a collision than adult drivers. California Highway Patrol data show that in 2003 teen drivers were responsible for 20,940 accidents, which resulted in 278 deaths.
The new law, which was drafted by Assemblymember Bill Maze (R-Barstow) as AB 1474, attempts to reduce the number of accidents and deaths caused by teen drivers by making two changes to existing legislation. Drivers under the age of 18 who have provisional licenses are prohibited for the first 12 months after receiving the license from driving from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. or from transporting passengers under the age of 20 unless accompanied by either a parent or an adult who is at least 25 years old.
This law applies to teen drivers who have already received their provisional licenses. If a teenager’s license was issued in May 2005, the nighttime and passenger restriction will apply to that driver until May 2006.
Before this law, provisional drivers could drive between the hours of 5 a.m. and 12 a.m. and could transport passengers under the age of 20 after six months of being issued a license.
The law does not change previous exemptions. Individuals with provisional licenses are permitted to drive between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. in order to transport family members or themselves for specified medical, schooling or employment reasons.
Maze wrote AB 1474 in response to a 2003 DMV study that analyzed existing restrictions on drivers ages 15 to 17 from 1994 to 2001. According to the study, the nighttime restriction and the six-month passenger restriction were credited with reducing the number of crashes annually by .45 percent (153 crashes) and 2.52 percent (878 crashes), respectively.
Compliance with the passenger restriction was found to be 50 percent. Although the passenger restriction was frequently not followed, the study found that restricting teen drivers from transporting their peers, even if that only meant 50 percent followed the law, was a significant and worthwhile constraint.
In addition to encouraging lawmakers to extend the nighttime driving restriction and increase enforcement of the passenger restriction, the authors of the DMV study recommended that a teenager’s passage from one stage of licensing to the next be dependent on a crash-free driving record. Lawmakers did not adopt that suggestion.
A statement on Maze’s Web site promoted the new law: “These changes will greatly enhance safety and reduce accident numbers without impinging on legitimate driving activity such as that for work, school or family.”
Deputy Michael Woodard, who runs the Sheriff’s Teen Traffic Offender Program, or STTOP, at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said newer restrictions are necessary for today’s young drivers.
“It’s very different for kids to drive in the conditions of today compared to 20 years ago,” Woodard said. “There’s no room for error on today’s roads.”
STTOP was created in 1998 by the Lost Hills Sheriff Department after six teens lost their lives driving in the Conejo Valley. The program allows citizens to report reckless driving on local roads. Cities throughout Southern California have adopted the program.