EDITORIAL : CURBING TEEN DRIVERS; NEW LAW IS A SENSIBLE WAY TO PHASE IN RESPONSIBILITY OF DRIVING.BEGINNING Wednesday, a new California law California Law consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes. See also
The state's new graduated driver license phases in privileges in a rational, livable liv·a·ble also live·a·ble adj. 1. Suitable to live in; habitable: a livable dwelling. 2. Possible to bear; endurable: livable trials and tribulations. approach toward making highways safer for all, especially teens. Young drivers between the ages of 16 and 18 will have to have a permit for six months before seeking a license, much longer than the current 30 days. And parents must certify they've spent 50 hours with their children behind the wheel, including at least 10 hours at night. The provisional license also has restrictions. In the first year, teens can't drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver 25 years or older. And for the first six months, teens may not have passengers younger than age 20 without the older driver. Nearly 18,000 California teens are killed or injured in vehicle crashes each year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. , which co-sponsored the legislation. While teens between the ages of 15 and 19 make up only 4 percent of licensed drivers, according to club statistics, they are the drivers in 9 percent of fatal car crashes and 10 percent of injury crashes. Less than 4 percent of the miles driven by 16- and 17-year-olds occur between midnight and 5 a.m., but 13 percent of their fatal crashes occur during those hours. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , we've seen the death toll rise - four teen-agers dead within the past year - as bored teens with muscle cars race late at night along desolate roads at speeds as high as 100 mph. Nationally, car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens. Federal officials say about 35 percent of all deaths among 15- to 20-year-olds are from motor vehicle crashes. While those young drivers make up just 6.7 percent of U.S. motorists, they account for 14 percent of drivers arrested on alcohol-related charges, according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government, part of the Department of Transportation. . And they account for nearly one of every four who die in speed-related crashes. California is not alone in setting restrictions on teen drivers, although the new state law is the toughest nationally. Similar laws are being pushed across the nation by everyone from the NHTSA NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (US government) to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that still occur. . Teen-agers are going to complain about the restrictions imposed under the new law. But as state Sen. Tim Leslie, R-Roseville, who sponsored the new law, observed: ``There's nothing punitive about this law at all. It's not intended to punish; it's intended to save lives.'' It's a reasonable answer to a deadly problem. |
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