Changes will take effect next week to the state’s driving laws which will have a significant impact on teen drivers and their parents.
The changes, which will take effect Monday, February 22nd, will:
- Reduce from two to one the number of non-family passengers under age 21 riding in a motor vehicle operated by a junior license holder when not accompanied by a licensed parent or guardian.
- Eliminate the limited use junior license and require that a junior permit be held for at least 6 months before a junior or senior license may be issued.
- Increase the number of supervised driving hours before scheduling a road test from 20 to 50 hours that includes 15 hours of driving after sunset.
(Read More:
http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/broch/GDL2010.pdf)
The changes to the law mean that anyone who receives their learners permit next week or beyond will have to wait until at least August to schedule a road test.
During that time before the road test, the teens must spend 50 hours in a vehicle being supervised by a driver over the age of 21. 15 of those supervised driving hours must be after sunset. Previously, teens only needed to have 20 hours of supervised driving total before scheduling a road test.
The changes are meant to give teen drivers more experience in various traffic situations. They also attempt to limit the number of distractions in the car.
During a road test conducted by NewsChannel 9 on young drivers, none of them could maintain safe control while texting. They all hit the cones that lined the course at the State Fairgrounds. Afterward, every teen involved said they would no longer text while behind the wheel.
Of course, teens can also be distracted by other teens, and that is why the new law will limit the number of passengers who can ride along with new drivers. Studies show that when a 16 year old driver has one friend in the car it increases the risk of a deadly accident by 39%. With two friends it doubles to 86%. When three kids hop into the car with the young driver the risk of a fatal crash jumps to 282%.
Important Links:Applications disable cell phones while driving:
