It’s no secret that young, newly licensed drivers are featured more heavily in accident statistics than other groups. In fact, teenage drivers crash nearly four times as often as older ones, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And it isn’t just other teenagers who are put at risk when out-of-school teen drivers make summers some of the most dangerous days to drive in America.
To help curb this trend, lawmakers often mandate an introductory period where only a certain number of passengers (if any), or those over a specific age, are permitted to ride with a new driver. However, these restrictions vary by state. For instance, Colorado won’t allow any passengers with a new teenage driver for the first six months, while Iowa allows the parents to decide whether to have such restrictions. Even more lenient, Mississippi has no passenger rules pertaining to the first six month of driving.
But what about immediate family? The vast majority of states consider family members exempt from these regulations. Only California and Connecticut apply any restrictions on family, with the latter not permitting relatives other than parents to ride with a teen driver for six months. However, some Connecticut legislators are suggesting a change to this policy might be in order. Why? A pair of twin brothers presented the state transportation committee with a bit of a conundrum.
Logistical challenges, additional costs, and reduced time behind the wheel
While Connecticut rules currently only allow parents, not siblings, to ride with new teen drivers, one family has presented a case against it. Twins Matthew and Tyler Medina, of Killingworth, will receive their permits at the same time; however, they argue state laws will make their situation challenging.
For example, with both boys involved in similar after-school activities such as tennis practice and matches, their parents have traditionally driven them together in one vehicle. But if the boys want to practice their driving, under the current rules each would be forced to drive separately even when going to the same destination, resulting in additional vehicle wear and tear as well as extra fuel. Which can be costly depending on where your area sits among the cheapest and most expensive states to buy gas in America.
And even if a parent rides with the boys, the twin not driving is banned from riding along under the regulations now in place. According to NBC Connecticut, Matthew Medina explained in written testimony to the state that without the passage of proposed Bill 234, “Only our mother would be able to drive us daily, which limits our opportunity to build the experience that driver permit time is meant to provide.”
Graduated driver’s licensing and the data that supports it
The Graduated Driver’s Licensing process states use for new drivers includes three levels that incrementally afford beginners a structured approach: first a learner’s permit, then an intermediate status, and finally a full-blown license. Each phase includes restrictions meant to lower the rate of accidents by eliminating the potential for hazards. Of course, choosing the best car for a teen driver can help, such as excluding anything with a potent engine under the hood.
One of the most significant risk factors for new teen drivers is the presence of teenage passengers. Distracted driving is a dangerous situation for someone with experience behind the wheel, but even more so for beginners. According IIHS data, rules against teenage passengers drop deadly accidents by 21%, when a driver aged 15 to 17 is behind the wheel.
While the Medina twins make valid points about inconvenience and additional costs, the accident data is hard to ignore. Are lawmakers like those in Connecticut imposing restrictions that are too rigid, or should other states adopt more stringent teen driver regulations?
