U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing legislation that would set national standards for teenagers to receive an unrestricted drivers’ license, and, she believes, reduce the number of deaths amongst young drivers.
Gillibrand’s legislation, Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND UP) act, would require all states implement graduated drivers license (GDL) programs including a three-stage licensing process from learner’s permit to full, prohibit night driving and put restrictions on who can be in the car with someone who has a permit or intermediate license.
“I feel like we need to do much more to prevent these accidents and save these innocent lives,” Gillibrand said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, April 27
Car accidents are the number one cause of death amongst teenagers in America, and in 2008, more than half of the roughly 6,500 people killed in car accidents were teenagers. In addition, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely to get in an accident than an older driver.
Although Gillibrand acknowledged that New York State does a good job with their requirements to receive a license – especially when compared to other states – more than 230,000 drivers aged 16 and 17 are on the road every day in the state. Queens has roughly 10,000 of these young drivers – more than 30 percent of the city’s total – and the legislation would change the age drivers can get their regular license from 17 to 18.
Currently, Gillibrand said the plan has a lot of support both in the House and the Senate, and she hopes to have it included in the Senate’s Transportation bill this year. She estimated that the total cost of the project would be about $25 million, which would be a small amount when considered in a transportation bill that is expected to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Gillibrand believes by setting these minimum standards and giving young drivers more resources and time to practice,
“We will save the lives of some of our most precious and important people – our children,” Gillibrand said.
