MN Legislators to new teen drivers: Forget those midnight joyrides
04/25/2008
The Minnesota House gets tough with restrictions that limit times and the number of passengers.By PATRICIA LOPEZ and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE,
Star Tribune
April 24, 2008
In an attempt to curb the highest teen driving death rate in the country, the Minnesota House on Thursday passed a bill that would crack down on new teen drivers, restricting both night driving and passenger loads.
"I don't think we should be proud of being Number 1 in teen deaths due to car crashes," said Rep. Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester, who sponsored the tougher restrictions.
"This helps support parents who give their kids car keys and hold their breath until the child is home safely."
The bill, which faces a Senate vote next week, would bar newly licensed teens from taking the wheel between midnight and 5 a.m. for the first six months unless they were traveling home from work or a school event.
They would not be allowed to carry more than one teenage passenger who was not a sibling during the first six months and no more than three during the second six months.
A series of high-profile crashes recently has created a wave of support for the restrictions that already exist in 46 other states.
"We're reacting to an outpouring from Minnesotans who want this," said Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, the bill's chief sponsor. "This has been too long coming. This is going to save some lives."
Heart-stopping statistics
The statistics on teen crashes are heart-stopping. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, traffic accidents are the leading cause of teen death in the state -- more than the next four causes combined. Drivers under 19 years old are involved in one out of every four injury crashes in Minnesota and one of every six fatal crashes.
The nighttime crash rate for Minnesota drivers under age 18 is nearly four times that of adult drivers. Teen drivers were involved in accidents that resulted in nearly 600 deaths between 1994 and 2004.
There's a financial toll, too. In 2002, the state and hospitals combined data and found nearly $11 million in hospital charges for accidents related to 16- and 17-year-old drivers.