TOO MANY KIDS IN THE VAN?
Since the crash in Carlisle Township Thursday morning, many people having been questioning if the new teen driving law was broken with the 17 year old driver having 4 other teens in the van at the time of the crash.
The law (House Bill 343) that went into effect in April of 2007 applies to drivers under the age of 17. Some of the changes in the law included the following:
- Probationary driver license holders under the age of 17 will not be permitted to operate a motor vehicle with more than one person who is not a family member in the vehicle, unless accompanied by the license holder's parent, guardian, or legal custodian. Studies conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have shown that one passenger doubles the risk of a crash among teen drivers, two passengers triple the risk, and three or more passengers increase the risk by more than six.
- Probationary driver license holders between 17 and 18 years of age will be restricted from driving between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless the holder is accompanied by a parent or guardian, with the following exceptions: an emergency situation, driving to or from a school activity, or driving to or from work. Travel to or from work is permitted provided the teen has written documentation from the employer.
- Probationary license holders under the age of 17 are prohibited from driving between midnight and 6 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian with the same exceptions as above. This is a change to the previous restriction of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
- Permit holders under the age of 18 will be prohibited from driving between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or legal custodian who holds a valid license. This is a change to the previous restriction of 1a.m. to 5 a.m.
- If a probationary driver license holder under the age of 17 is convicted of having committed one moving violation during the first six months of having a driver's license, the person must be accompanied by a parent or guardian whenever operating a motor vehicle during the six-month period commencing on the date on which the person is convicted of or pleads guilty to the moving violation or until the person turns 17.
posted by TMC NEWS at 11:32 AM
6 Comments:
thanks tmc i wasent sure about this law i just heard about it since im way older than 18 i never payed attention to it..
Law does not matter, just know kids that our prayers are with each any every one of you for a speedy recovery
I have to disagree. The law does matter perhaps this could have been prevented. While I do agree that I hope everyone has a speedy recovry I also hope that the semi driver is ok mentally and emotionally. I will be 20 soon and it is scary to think that these kids arent much younger then me. However allow me to repeat myself THE LAW DOES MATTER!
Well said heather it did matter. maybe she wasent paying attention maybe she was goofing around.
I agree too, the law does matter. In this case the law about how many kids in the car was not broken by the driver as she was 17. I am very happy to hear that all of the kids are doing well. I do think it is worth talking about after crashes like this one about the laws and also about personal responsibilities of drivers, no matter what their age. Young and old.
I often see people criticize older drivers on this site and yet I see a lot of accidents involving younger drivers on here too. I don’t think age really has anything to do with it, it’s how responsible the drivers are. Are they irresponsible and talk on cell phones while driving, or send text messages while driving. Are they driving drunk? Are they driving like idiots and just not really concerned about others on the road? Age is not the issue, it’s how mature and responsible the person behind the wheel is. And yes, even mature and responsible people can make poor choices while behind the wheel and that might just be the case with the girl on 301.
Mike is right: House Bill 343, which went into effect on April 6th, 2007, reads as follow:
"Probationary driver license holders under the age of 17 will not be permitted to operate a motor vehicle with more than one person who is not a family member in the vehicle, unless accompanied by the license holder's parent, guardian, or legal custodian. Studies conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have shown that one passenger doubles the risk of a crash among teen drivers, two passengers triple the risk, and three or more passengers increase the risk by more than six."
Anyone that says the law does not matter is just ignorant of the facts regarding teenage drivers. As this accident so clearly demonstrates, perhaps the law SHOULD include drivers under the age of 18.
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