FREEHOLD
TWP – Attorney General Paula T. Dow
and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
(MVC) Acting Chief Administrator Raymond
P. Martinez and today announced the specifics
of Kyleigh’s Law, a first in the nation
initiative designed to help prevent senseless
teen driver deaths and injuries, which begins
May 1. The new law mandates the display
of red, reflectorized decals on the front
and rear license plates of any vehicle operated
by a permit or probationary license holder
under the age 21.
Joined
by New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic
Safety Director Pam Fischer, who led the
Teen Driver Study Commission, which advocated
the use of vehicle decals for new drivers,
Dow and Martinez highlighted the state’s
leadership on the issue of teen driver safety,
outlined the requirements of Kyleigh’s
Law and stressed the importance of responsibility
behind the wheel.
Attorney
General Dow noted that the new decal will
provide an additional tool for law enforcement
officers to use in their continued efforts
to enforce the Graduated Driver license
(GDL) law.
“The
new decal will strengthen police officers’
ability to enforce the Graduated Driver
License law requirements,” Attorney
General Dow said. “We know that identifying
a GDL holder can often be difficult for
those enforcing the law. Stopping a driver
for a potential GDL violation should never
be based on the fact that a driver appears
young, is leaving a school parking lot or
is in a vehicle that may be more typical
of teens. By providing probable cause to
stop a teen driver who may be in violation
of the GDL requirements, law enforcement
officers can not only enhance their enforcement
efforts, but ultimately ensure that young
drivers are kept safe and free from harm.”
“One
of the greatest challenges young people
face in their lives is becoming a licensed
driver,” said Martinez. “Getting
behind the wheel is a tremendous responsibility
and it is important for those of us with
more experience and knowledge to provide
the necessary tools, guidance and support
that will allow teens to safely join the
millions of drivers traveling our roadways
each day.”
Beginning
April 12, all MVC Agencies will sell the
decals at $4 dollars per pair. The decals
must be attached to the top, left corner
of the front and rear license plates prior
to the Graduated Driver License (GDL) holder
operating the vehicle. The decals are removable
so that other family members who share a
vehicle with a GDL holder may remove them
prior to driving. The MVC anticipates that
approximately 500,000 pairs of decals will
be sold during the first year of the new
law. While the decals will be issued to
a new driver upon receiving a permit, those
drivers who are already on the road, but
still holding a probationary license under
the GDL law, will be required to purchase
the decals and display them by May 1.
Named
in memory of Kyleigh D’Alessio, a
Morris County teenager tragically killed
while a passenger in a car driven by a probationary
driver, the decals provide state and local
law enforcement with a useful tool in identifying
those drivers who are violating restrictions
imposed under the state’s GDL law.
The statute stems from the work of the Teen
Driver Study Commission, which issued, in
March 2008, a comprehensive report outlining
47 recommendations for stemming the tide
of teen driver crashes in the state. A number
of the recommendations were introduced as
legislation or are being addressed by the
Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
According
to Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director
Pam Fischer, significant progress has been
made in implementing the essential recommendations
made by the Teen Driver Study Commission
during the past two years, but more work
still needs to be done.
“By
strengthening the Graduated Driver License
law, we are making progress in improving
teen driver safety,” Fischer said.
“But, while we’re seeing a drop
in the total number of teen drivers and
their teen passengers killed in traffic
crashes, that number is still too high.
Until we can say “no teens have lost
their lives in a senseless car crash”
our work must, and will, continue.”
Motor
vehicle crashes remain the leading cause
of death for young people ages 16 to 20.
Teens also represent the largest contingent
of drivers involved in crashes in New Jersey,
although they account for only six percent
of licensed drivers.
In
New Jersey in 2009, 36 teen drivers and
8 teen passengers were killed in traffic
crashes, while in 2008, 36 teen drivers
and 23 teen passengers tragically lost their
lives in a vehicle. In 2007, 35 teen drivers
and 33 teen passengers were killed on New
Jersey roads. Nationally, 6,000 teens are
killed and approximately 300,000 injured
in crashes each year.
In
addition to Kyleigh’s Law, several
other changes to New Jersey’s GDL
law will also take effect on May 1. Permit
and probationary (formerly provisional)
license holders may not operate a motor
vehicle after 11:01 p.m. and before 5:00
a.m. and may not use a hand-held or hands-free
interactive, wireless communication device,
including iPods. Passenger restrictions
have also been updated for both permit and
probationary licensees. Learner’s
permit holders may only operate a vehicle
with a supervising driver who is over 21
and licensed to drive for at least three
years and one additional passenger, unless
a parent or guardian is in the vehicle.
A probationary license holder (who may drive
without supervision) may transport only
one passenger unless the passengers are
the driver’s dependents. If a parent
or guardian is in the vehicle, the passenger
restriction does not apply. Violation of
the GDL restrictions, as well as failure
to display the decal, will result in a $100
fine.
Additional
information is available on the Division
of Highway Traffic Safety's web site at:
www.nj.gov/oag/hts/teen-driver-study.html
and on the Motor Vehicle Commission's web
site at: www.njmvc.gov/gdl.
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