Helping young drivers become safer drivers

Did you know that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Iowa teens? By helping teens develop good driving habits, we can save lives.

The House and Senate Transportation committees recently heard from researchers at the University of Iowa and the University of North Carolina about strengthening our driver licensing system to better protect young drivers.

The researchers’ recommendations are included in a new bill (SSB 3071) that would:

** Restrict the number of passengers in teen cars. Teens are twice as likely to have an accident with two passengers as they are with one passenger and three times as likely to have an accident with three passengers. Under the bill, intermediate license holders could have only one passenger who is under 21 and not a sibling or member of the same household. The passenger restriction would also apply to school licenses.

** Limit driving without a parent after 11 p.m. Accidents among 16 and 17 year olds go up approximately 300 percent between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Under the legislation, parents could sign a waiver for the teen to drive to work or school-related activities after 11 p.m.

** Extend the length of time for supervised driving. Right now, Iowa teens must hold an intermediate license for six months. Our new bill would increase the time to 12 months so that young drivers can get experience in all seasons and road conditions. Imagine driving in Iowa’s recent blizzard conditions if you had only been taught to drive during the summer!

North Carolina experienced a 38-percent reduction in accidents for 16 year olds and a 20-percent reduction for 17 year olds when it adopted these measures. Nighttime accidents were reduced by 66 percent over the course of four years. Accidents with multiple passengers were cut in half.

While there are some who think we should only address the budget this year, we believe we should consider legislation that will save lives as well. Remember, we all share the roads.

You can review this bill here.