Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek Even More Restrictions On Teen Drivers
by Matt Margolis, March 29th, 2006 at 07:56pm
The Boston Herald reports that a new law is being considered which would ban teenagers under the age of 18 from driving with younger siblings without supervision.
The bill would prohibit “junior operators” - drivers under age 18 - from having immediate family members under the age of 18 in their cars without an adult present, said Joint Transportation Committee Co-Chairman Joseph Wagner.
Wagner is said to be “committed” to toughening restrictions and hiking penalties governing junior operators. During the first six months they have their license, junior operators are now allowed to have family members under age 18 in their cars. But they are not permitted to have friends under 18 unless accompanied by someone older than 21.
Andrea Goncalves, 17, and her brother, Joshua, 10, were killed in a crash Sunday night. Goncalves was a junior operator, but she was not breaking the law - she had passed her six-month passenger restrictions.
I think we’re going a little overboard and not addressing the root of the problem.
It often takes a tragedy for people to act to make changes. High profile stories in particular provide lawmakers with opportunities to propose changes to the law that invoke the name and memory of a victim whose has become a household name following their own tragedy. This usually will lead to laws like Melanie’s Law here in Massachusetts, Jessica’s Law in Florida, and the nationwide Amber Alert system.
But, laws like this are more the lawmakers who will take credit for them, and less for the people these laws claim to protect. The proposed new restrictions are being made because young drivers are getting into accidents, but the law does nothing to address the problem of inexperience.
If we want young drivers to be safer drivers, they need to able to gain as much experience behind the wheel as possible before getting their driver’s license.
Nevertheless, expect this to become high profile legislation, sponsors lined up out the door and big fanfare with the families of Shauna and Meghan Murphy, and Andrea and Joshua Goncalves on hand…
Meanwhile, we’ll still be letting inexperienced teenagers drive…
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