Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats John S. Wisniewski and Pamela Lampitt that would strengthen the education and practice requirements for New Jersey’s Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program was advanced by an Assembly panel today.
“This legislation provides the missing pieces in New Jersey’s teen driver safety puzzle,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee. “Not only will these requirements produce better and safer teen drivers, they will help parents feel more at ease when their child gets behind the wheel alone for the first time.”
Under the bill, any teen driver under the age of 18 who is applying for their learner’s permit or examination permit would first be required to have a parent or guardian complete an approved teen driver orientation program, which may be done through an approved online provider. This program also would be available, but not required, for drivers between 18 and 21 who are seeking an examination permit.
“If we want to keep our teens and our roadways safe, we need to ensure that the supervised driving phase is intensive enough to prepare them to handle the road on their own,” said Lampitt (D-Camden). “The enhancements to this program will provide the proper training to ensure that teens have the experience and confidence necessary to handle the wheel by themselves.”
The bill would also require any driver under the age of 21 who holds an examination or special learner’s permit to complete a minimum number of certified practice driving hours with a parent, guardian or adult supervisor. Any teen driver with a special learner’s permit would be required to complete 50 hours of practice driving, 10 hours of which would be at night, in addition to the currently required six hours of certified driving school instruction. Drivers with an examination permit would be able to complete the aforementioned requirements or, alternatively, complete 100 hours of certified driving, 20 hours of which would be at night.
Additionally, the bill would require that the current six hours of certified driving instruction be private and one-on-one instruction. It also would require the MVC, in consultation with the state Division on Highway Traffic Safety, to update and standardize traffic safety/driver education guidelines for public and private schools in the state.
Finally, the bill would extend the permit phase from six months to one year for all new drivers, age 16 to 20, before they become eligible for a probationary license.
Wisniewski first announced the legislation when partnering with AAA New Jersey to reveal the results of a wide-ranging national study that found parents consider most teens unprepared for unsupervised driving.
The AAA study found that 47 percent of parents participating in the study felt that after the learning stage of the state’s GDL, there was still at least one driving condition for which their teen was not adequately prepared. One in three parent-participants didn’t feel their teen was ready to drive unsupervised on the highway or in heavy traffic. One in five parents didn’t think their teen was ready to drive unsupervised in the rain.
“When almost half the parents of driving age children feel that their kids aren’t ready to get behind the wheel by themselves after the ‘learning phase’ of the GDL, something is seriously wrong,” added Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), the father of teen drivers. “Through this legislation, and with the help of partners like AAA New Jersey, we can work to correct this problem so that it does not continue to result in needless accidents, injuries and deaths.”
The bill was approved by the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee by a vote of 8 to 0 and now awaits consideration by the full Assembly. TLS.
Exxcellent idea.
The Democratic jobs program at work! We need more MVA workers to do all this new paperwork and now we get another expense of all this new driver training that will have to be done. We also get the advantage of a new source of income for the state with tickets being issued for non compliance, isn’t it great.
I think it will lead to more people driving without a license than safer roads.
How much more guidance from the Democrats do we need??
just like nj. lets add more laws and red tape.j already has some of the strictest driving rules for new drivers of any state in the union. look at most other states they kids drive at 16 and have no problems , they have less accidents then us. my daughter turns 17 in 30 days. she will get her license . she falls just under the cap of 18 and i am so glad. yes i worry as all parents do but there is a time when we need to let our children grow up. everyone forgets at 18 our kids are old enough to fight and possibly be killed for this country. but we will restrict how and when they can drive. goverment back off. you are over stepping..
The way drivers are driving on our streets its no wonder we have accidents every single day. Law should change that no one can drive under 21 and over 65 you need your eyes checked every year
so how much more money will this ideqa cost the taxpayers of this state?
lets us be heard and this bill should definitly not pass
There are many drivers besides teens that need some education about driving safely ~ just come to Lakewood and you will get my point !
while I understand the intent of this, Its just not teen drivers that are the problem ,the next thing will be senoir, then middle age ,I have a novel Idea how about just enforcing the law as it stands ! you know running red lights, stop signs, drunken driving, careless driving etc! for everyone!!!!
dumb idea all the way around. classic democrats doing what they do best. making laws. they must have nothing better to do.
who is that guy on the lic he dosnt look like a yid
#5 please read the article. If your child waits until they are 18 it will not cost a penny. When is the last time that you saw a Lakewood teen come to a complete stop at a stop sign?
ridiculous!!!!!! these laws haven’t made any difference yet!