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January \| February 2004 Volume 78 Issue 1

AAA Commentary

AAA Supports Bills to Improve Teen Driver Safety

In 1997, AAA stepped up its involvement to address a health crisis among teens. The leading cause of death for teens ages 15-19 was not alcohol or drugs, it was motor vehicle crashes.

In response, AAA kicked off a nationwide campaign that year called "Licensed to Live; Licensed to Learn" to focus legislative efforts at the state level on passing a Graduated Drivers License (GDL) system. This process would ease novice drivers into increased driver responsibility as they gained experience—thus improving driving abilities and the safety of young motorists.

In 1999, Colorado's GDL bill was enacted. Results were immediate-novice driver involvement in crashes and fatalities declined significantly during 2000 and 2001.

Unfortunately, in 2002 the downward trend began to reverse itself, and in 2003 there was a significant number of high-profile accidents involving newly licensed drivers.

Nationwide, 65 percent of all teen passenger deaths in motor vehicle accidents involved teen drivers. In Colorado, that figure jumped in 2002 to 81 percent (this includes teen drivers killed). In response, Colorado lawmakers have added two bills to their 2004 agenda—both of which AAA Colorado will lobby for—to further strengthen the current GDL law and to improve the safety of new drivers and their passengers.

Raising the Minimum Age

The first bill—endorsed by Governor Bill Owens and supported by the Colorado State Patrol—raises the minimum age at which a teen can get a learner's permit from 15-and-a-half to 16 years of age, unless he or she has taken a four-hour course on defensive driving skills. Teens who enroll in this class can receive a driving permit at 15-and-a-half. This permit, though, must be held for six months before the teen is able to take the driving test for a driver's license.

Passenger Restrictions

The second bill, spearheaded by State Rep. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, prohibits minor drivers under the age of 18 from driving minor passengers under 18 during the first six months of holding a license. Exemptions include: if one passenger is at least 21 and has held a driver's license for at least one year; if the minor passengers are members of the driver's immediate family; or if the driver is driving on account of an emergency or for employment.

Road Ready Teens Nationwide Initiative

In addition to supporting such legislative measures, AAA Colorado has teamed up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other safety groups to help sponsor Daimler Chrysler's Road Ready Teens Initiative to educate both parents and teens during the driving education process. As part of this initiative, a new website, www.roadreadyteens.org, provides information for teens and parents. Additionally, AAA has prepared a program called "Teaching Your Teens to Drive". AAA Colorado believes that through such initiatives, legislative measures and efforts by teens and parents, we can all work together to significantly reduce the amount of tragic teen-driver crashes.

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