Teen drivers will need to take extra precautions when driving on the road.
On Tuesday, August 17, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David J. Swarts announced the enactment of a new law that requires all drivers under 18 to have no more than one non-family member under 21 as a fellow passenger. The law also extends the amount of required supervised training before one can apply for a driver’s license.
The new law enhances highway safety and enforceability, which had been two major issues that plagued law enforcement personnel in its effort to monitor drivers who received their license or permit before February 22. Previous legislation had only applied to those who received their license or permit on or after that particular date. The new law also ensures that new drivers have at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 15 hours of which must be completed after sunset. The prior law exempted new drivers under 18 who took an approved driver education course from the minimum hours of supervised driving.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for teens and the crash fatality rate is highest for 16- to 17-year-olds within the first six months of getting their license,” said Swarts. “This amendment closes a loop-hole in the current law and addresses a main cause of teen driver crashes, which is inexperience.”
