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09-22-05, 09:49 PM
If this passes it could potentially make riding safer in Iowa. Granted most of the restrictions have to do with the teens driving at night, when most cyclists are not riding. But if teens are barred from using cell phones while driving & eliminating school permits there would be less teens driving during the day light hours & less of a chance a teen who is driving during the day hits a cyclist if they are not on a cell phone. I think this is a GREAT idea. But part of the education program needs to include how to behave around cyclists when driving a car, not just how to interact with other motorists.
Read the article:
Public safety chief wants more restrictions on teen drivers
By Todd Dorman Journal Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES -- Iowa's top public safety official said Wednesday he will ask the Legislature to consider new restrictions on teenage drivers, insisting more should be done to slice the number of traffic fatalities among young motorists.
It's been six years since lawmakers created a special "graduated" driver's license for 16-year-olds, limiting night driving and the number of passengers who ride along, among other rules. Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Techau said those license limits have made Iowa's teenage drivers safer -- but not safe enough.
Between 2001 and 2004, 221 people ages 15 to 20 died in crashes on Iowa's roadways, according to the department. Another 22,072 were injured.
Speed, distractions and alcohol use are all major factors, Techau said.
"You've got to wonder if there's not more that we can do," Techau said during the Iowa Traffic Safety Conference, where state and local officials gathered to discuss potential legislative proposals. "There are measures we can take that will keep our kids safer on the roads."
One option is tightening the current graduated driver's license law.
Graduated license holders currently are barred from driving between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., and the number of passengers they're allowed to carry is limited to the number of seat belts in a vehicle. Techau said both limits could be revised.
Lawmakers could follow the lead of other states and prohibit teens from using cell phones while driving. And Techau said there may be support for phasing out or eliminating school permits, which allow 14- and 15-year-olds to drive to and from school or school activities.
Techau said legislators also could move to restrict teen access to alcohol by requiring the registration of beer kegs or by raising the state's tax on alcohol.
But all of those changes could prove controversial, especially in an election year. New night-driving restrictions could impact students who arrive home late from long road trips to sporting events. Passenger limits may be tough to enforce and any school permit changes could draw opposition from rural areas.
Alcohol restrictions that also hit adults could be a tough sell for lawmakers.
"Will some of these cause more inconvenience for the kid or for the parent? Probably. But is that worth saving their life?" Techau said.
Key lawmakers say they're willing to have a teen driving debate, but they're uncertain about the destination.
Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, a former state trooper who chairs the House Public Safety Committee, said he does not favor changes in the graduated license law. But he does support new limits on school permits.
Baudler contends young drivers are abusing the current law. He wants to put stickers on cars driven by school permit holders to help law officers track the driver's whereabouts.
"It's been abused since they started it," Baudler said. "They scoop the loop, down to the Casey's store, you know."
Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, co-chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he wants additional resources spent on education efforts. But he said he's not sure an election year session will embrace calls for big changes.
"This is going to a be a back to the basics session," Danielson said. "I don't think you'll see huge leaps forward in any policy area."
Read the article:
Public safety chief wants more restrictions on teen drivers
By Todd Dorman Journal Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES -- Iowa's top public safety official said Wednesday he will ask the Legislature to consider new restrictions on teenage drivers, insisting more should be done to slice the number of traffic fatalities among young motorists.
It's been six years since lawmakers created a special "graduated" driver's license for 16-year-olds, limiting night driving and the number of passengers who ride along, among other rules. Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Techau said those license limits have made Iowa's teenage drivers safer -- but not safe enough.
Between 2001 and 2004, 221 people ages 15 to 20 died in crashes on Iowa's roadways, according to the department. Another 22,072 were injured.
Speed, distractions and alcohol use are all major factors, Techau said.
"You've got to wonder if there's not more that we can do," Techau said during the Iowa Traffic Safety Conference, where state and local officials gathered to discuss potential legislative proposals. "There are measures we can take that will keep our kids safer on the roads."
One option is tightening the current graduated driver's license law.
Graduated license holders currently are barred from driving between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., and the number of passengers they're allowed to carry is limited to the number of seat belts in a vehicle. Techau said both limits could be revised.
Lawmakers could follow the lead of other states and prohibit teens from using cell phones while driving. And Techau said there may be support for phasing out or eliminating school permits, which allow 14- and 15-year-olds to drive to and from school or school activities.
Techau said legislators also could move to restrict teen access to alcohol by requiring the registration of beer kegs or by raising the state's tax on alcohol.
But all of those changes could prove controversial, especially in an election year. New night-driving restrictions could impact students who arrive home late from long road trips to sporting events. Passenger limits may be tough to enforce and any school permit changes could draw opposition from rural areas.
Alcohol restrictions that also hit adults could be a tough sell for lawmakers.
"Will some of these cause more inconvenience for the kid or for the parent? Probably. But is that worth saving their life?" Techau said.
Key lawmakers say they're willing to have a teen driving debate, but they're uncertain about the destination.
Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, a former state trooper who chairs the House Public Safety Committee, said he does not favor changes in the graduated license law. But he does support new limits on school permits.
Baudler contends young drivers are abusing the current law. He wants to put stickers on cars driven by school permit holders to help law officers track the driver's whereabouts.
"It's been abused since they started it," Baudler said. "They scoop the loop, down to the Casey's store, you know."
Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, co-chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he wants additional resources spent on education efforts. But he said he's not sure an election year session will embrace calls for big changes.
"This is going to a be a back to the basics session," Danielson said. "I don't think you'll see huge leaps forward in any policy area."