New Bill Would Up Unrestricted Driving Age to 18

Published: Tue 06 Jul 2010

Wendy Blair

For teenagers, it's a grim prospect-waiting to turn 18 before receiving an unrestricted driver's license. But some members of Congress are convinced the additional time may save many teenagers' lives.

The bill proposes minimum standards for state driver's license laws, including issuing a learner's permit at age 16 and an unrestricted driver's license at age 18. Currently, the minimum unrestricted driving age in most states is 16 or 17.

The bill would compel states to create laws within three years that comply with a list of requirements or have a portion of their federal highway funding taken away.

"I believe it will reduce the accidents, it will reduce the deaths, it will reduce the serious injuries greatly in this country," explained Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., a co-sponsor of the House bill.

So far, the bill has not generated much momentum, with just 19 House co-sponsors since its April 2009 introduction. A version introduced in the Senate in April 2010 currently has six co-sponsors. But the heart of the bill is especially relevant to the July 4th weekend, which is the most fatal holiday for teenage drivers nationally.

On average, from 1999-2008, there were more deaths in accidents involving a teenage driver and more teenage deaths in accidents that occurred during the Fourth of July holiday than all other major holiday times, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Everyday statistics are equally alarming-motor vehicle accidents remain the number-one killer of teenagers in the U.S., with 11 teenagers on average dying in auto accidents every day.

Insurer Support for Research-Backed Bill

Virtually all states have a three-tier graduated driver's license program. For instance, Florida's law led to a nine-percent reduction in accidents for drivers ages 16 and 17, according to the NHTSA. Over half of the states also have strict cell phone and anti-texting laws in place.

But not every state law incorporates the elements research has demonstrated to be the most effective, according to Bill Vainisi from Allstate insurance, which supports the STAND UP bill.

" When you look at other statistics that show the states that have enacted very strong graduated drivers' license laws, you really can make an impact on those 11" daily teenage vehicular deaths, he noted. "You can cut it by 20 to 40 percent and it's really just commonsense stuff."

Allstate debuted the Facebook page "Save 11" in April to build support for the bill. The site has prompted 6,500 letters to legislators and also serves as a discussion forum for people who have lost their children or relatives or are otherwise concerned about teenage drivers.

"I was the passenger in a car that was t-boned by a teenage driver in his dad's hotrod," writes one female visitor to the page. "That was five years after a teenager clipped the front tire on my bike."

Another woman urged: "Change the driving age to 18. No child needs to be in control of a car anyway."