Gov. Corbett Signs Law Putting New Controls On Teen Drivers
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett this morning signed a new teen driving law that will limit the number of passengers in a young driver's car and make seat belts mandatory for everyone in that car.
The law is designed to reduce the number of fatal car accidents involving teenagers, and the auto advocacy group AAA reports some astounding statistics about teen drivers: they are four times as likely as adults to die in car crashes, and the odds of a fatal crash go up 40 percent when they have one passenger, 85 percent with two passengers, and 182 percent with three.
Thus, one key provision of the bill sponsored by state representative Kathy Watson (R-Bucks County) is that drivers under 18 may have only one passenger in the car who is not a family member.
"The greatest distraction for that new driver is others in the vehicle," says Watson, "and it's kind of natural. 'I just got my license, want to go for a ride?' But everybody's carrying on and it's really hard."
Watson says the bill also allows police to issue citations to drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts, and increases the number of practice hours (from 50 to 65) a teen must drive before getting a license.
Reported by Pat Loeb, KYW Newsradio 1060
