Scarlet Letter for Teen Drivers in N.J.

[Chuck]

A highly visible "NOVICE DRIVER" will be on the car, with restrictions on number of minors if no adults in car - and absolutely no cell phones

Karen Araiza - nbcphiladelphia.com - April 15, 2009

Great idea! --Ed.

Teen drivers in New Jersey are about to be called out. It may be the next best thing to a megaphone alerting police and possibly everyone else on the road: Beware! Teen Driver Behind The Wheel of This Car... as in, lethal weapon, get into defensive driving mode.

A reflective decal.

Governor Jon Corzine signed two bills Wednesday. Kyleigh's Law requires all new drivers with special learner's permits, examination permits, and provisional driver's licenses (mostly 18 and under) to put the decals on cars they drive. The other law puts much tougher restrictions in place for teen drivers.

Kyleigh's Law is the first of it's kind in the country and there is one mom behind it,

Donna Weeks. Donna's daughter, Kyleigh D'Alessio, was killed in 2006. The 16-year-old honor student from Morris County was riding in a car driven by a teenager with a probationary license.

Donna made it her personal mission to make Kyleigh the face of teen driver safety. She pushed from all sides, working with lawmakers and even getting Kyleigh's closest friends to put together a YouTube video on teen driving dangers.... [Read More]

[warthog1984]

So the Mom and/or her kid did something they knew or should have known was Dangerous and Stupid and so they want to take away other people's rights to judge their own capability?

I'm sick of this junk.

If you are a new driver, ACT like it. Understand your own limits, gently push the limits, and have the spine to make a go/no-go DECISION!

As a teen driver, I gave plenty of rides to multiple people, used my cell phone while driving, and even REFUSED TO DRIVE in unsafe conditions.

Was I safe? Yes, because I knew my limits. Taking 3 ppl in back was fine, but I wouldn't talk to them much. Cell phones were fine, because I had a long clear 360 degree sight line and a hands-free setup. OTOH, when the rain got really heavy once, I called to let the parentals know I was waiting for it to pass and going around the heavy spots to get home.

You want to keep kids safe? take them to empty parking lots and test their limits. Sign up for high-speed drivers ed- the $ is well worth it for the skidpad alone. When they are riding along, quiz them on what they see and how to react.

Realize accidents happen, and plan how to minimize them, not how to minimize your planning.

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by James Madison

Self government without self-discipline won't work

Laws like this are passed because some are irresponsible, criminal, or simply could not care about others....these are the real enemy of limited government and freedom.

I don't go around voicing my positions on social conservatism, but this is an ontopic one: a generation or two ago, parents would have kept stricter tabs on their kids....yes, stuff like this would still happen, but I suspect there would be less of it.

Might want to consider if the NJ Governor signed it to atone for going 91 without a seatbelt.

[hobbit]

Hey, isn't that the same Corzine that was injured barreling around
in an SUV at like 85+ a couple of years ago?
.
_H*

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by hobbit

Hey, isn't that the same Corzine that was injured barreling around
in an SUV at like 85+ a couple of years ago?
.
_H*

Wow! - just a split second after I typed that.

[Earthling]

The closest I've come to being killed on the road was from a 16-year-old girl pulling out across my path from a stop sign while I was driving home, doing the 55 mph speed limit. I had to swerve to avoid being killed. She hit the side of my car, rather than me tee-boning her in the driver's door @ 55 mph, which would have killed her for sure, and probably would have killed me, too.

Late last week a 17-year-old boy did the same exact thing to someone else, resulting in the death of his passenger, a teenage girl.

There needs to be tight controls on teenage drivers. They are some of the world's worst drivers. It's not about freedom, it's about not killing each other on public roads.

Harry

[Earthling]

When learning to ride a motorbike you must:

clearly display an L Plate on the rear of the motorbike that you are learning to ride. Alternatively, you may wear a vest clearly displaying an L. If you are not correctly displaying L plates, both you and the person teaching you to ride the vehicle will be fined.
only be taught by a person who holds and has held an open licence for the class of motorbike you are learning to ride, for at least one year.
keep your learner licence with you at all times when you are learning to ride and show it to a police officer when asked to do so
ovey any conditions stated on your learner licence
only learn to ride a motorbike with engine capacity of 250 ml or less
have a zero (0.00) blood or breath alcohol limit (BAC) if you are under 25 and a below 0.05 BAC if you are over 25, when learning to ride. Drink driving applies to motorbikes also, and offences carry penalties of monetary fines and disqualification periods

The above is from an Australian website, illustrating restrictions on novice motorcycle riders. And it applies to ALL people learning to ride motorcycles, not just teenagers.

http://www.ianwatson.net/content/veh...eMotorbike.htm

Harry

[Chuck]

I would not mind both the licence plate and licence be marked for "novice drivers".

Add to that DUI, road ragers, others with a bad driving history.

Put them under a microscope so they are compelled to drive better than just getting by.

[Doofus McFancyPants]

Kids who are learning are at greater risk simply because they are learning. They have not had the experience to anticipate changing situations or consider alternative emergency routes.
With that said - MOST AMERICANS actually fit this catagory because of lack of attention.

A sign on a car does nothing to protect the kids inside the car. Nor does it make them less likely to react poorly in a situation.

I cannot fathom loosing a child and i respect the mom for wanting her daughters death to save other kids lives - very Noble - But this execution is ultimatly useless.

[Earthling]

Originally Posted by Doofus McFancyPants

I cannot fathom loosing a child and i respect the mom for wanting her daughters death to save other kids lives - very Noble - But this execution is ultimatly useless.

Much more attention to teenagers and driver safety is required, and this program at least helps put more focus on that.

By the way, a guy I've known for years at work had his teenage daughter killed in a car crash just last week.

Harry