New law helps young drivers develop skills safely

To keep New York roadways safer, Assemblymember Susan John (D, 131st) announced a new law that she supported, issuing drivers under 18 a graduated license - slowly incrementing their full driving privileges based upon a clean drivers' record (A.3513b).

"Teen drivers are four times more likely to be in an auto accident than all other age groups combined," Assemblymember John said. "To help prevent tragedies involving young drivers, this law, of which I am a sponsor, creates three categories of beginners' licenses - learner's permit, 'limited class' junior license, and junior license - to allow drivers to develop their skills over time."

The law requires drivers under the age of 18 who hold a learner's permit to hold the permit for a minimum of six months and obtain a specified number of supervised driving hours before they would be eligible to take a road test and obtain a junior license. Persons supervising permit holders' driving would have to be at least 21 years of age, and could be the only front seat passenger

The law also creates a "limited class" junior license, with which drivers could drive to and from school, work, medical appointments, day care and, if accompanied by a parent or guardian, any other place.

Once the individual has held a permit and/or limited class junior license for a total of six months, obtained the requisite hours of supervised driving, and is at least 16-and-a-half years old, he or she would be eligible to take the road test to obtain a junior license.

According to the American Automobile Association of New York (AAANY), 43 states have created graduated driver's licensing programs. Ninety-six percent of AAANY members surveyed strongly agreed that teen drivers are more distracted by having other teens in the car. To help keep new young drivers safer by cutting down on distractions, this law allows for only two passengers who are not immediate family members, unless the driver is accompanied by a parent, guardian, driver's education teacher or driving instructor.

To combat reckless driving, other regulations contained in the law include suspending a graduated license upon a serious traffic violation and revoking it upon a second violation within six months of the first. The measure also requires that the driver, and all passengers, use seatbelts and/or child safety seats.