Teen driving bill eludes first obstacle
During the past decade, state legislatures across the country have turned their attention to bills aimed at reducing the frequency of teen driving deaths – and with good reason.
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among those between the ages of 15 and 20, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration, which represents about one third of all deaths in this age group.
In fact, during the past three years alone, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that 32 states have passed 80 bills related to teen driving, including New Hampshire. A new law that went into effect this past June requires teens once they turn 151⁄2 to drive 40 hours with a parent or guardian – 10 of those at night – before becoming eligible for their license at age 16.
And that may not be the only change on the horizon.
Last week, a divided House Transportation Committee gave a favorable recommendation to a bill (HB 579) that would:
n Require teens learning to drive to obtain a learner’s permit.
n Add a road test to the examination given to first-time driver applicants.
n Boost the hours of supervised driving time required to complete the driver education process.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster, was introduced at the start of this year’s legislative session but never made it out of committee.
After a public hearing in March, it was retained by the House Transportation Committee for more work until the panel vote 8-7 last Friday to recommend the bill’s approval when the new session opens in January.
Locally, the bill has drawn the sponsorship of state Sen. Sheila Roberge, R-Bedford, whose district includes Merrimack, and the support of Rep. Michael O’Brien, a Nashua Democrat and vice chairman of the committee.
“The intention here is to provide safe roads for our youth and demonstrate to our youth the seriousness of getting a license,” O’Brien told the Concord Monitor last week.
As it turns out, New Hampshire is one of the few states in the nation that doesn’t require a learner’s permit for its beginning drivers, according to a 50-state analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
While these are laudable goals, much of the opposition has focused on – what else? – money.
Specifically, some Republicans have criticized the bill for its inclusion of a $20 learner’s permit fee and the cost of the bureaucracy that would be needed to oversee the new regulations.
The state Department of Safety has determined that the bill would increase state highway revenue by about $600,000 each year starting in fiscal 2011, but the cost of administering the program would come in at $1.05 million that same year. That figure would include the hiring of 18 additional licensing examiners to carry out the program.
While we realize no one wins popularity contests by advocating an expansion of government in these difficult economic times, we believe this bill is an exception and deserves some serious consideration in the next legislative session. If necessary, the bill could be made to pay for itself by raising the $20 learner’s permit fee to $35 or $40 – less than the price of a popular video game today.
Last year, 27 people were killed in car accidents that involved teen drivers in New Hampshire; over the past five years, that tragic figure rests at 137. Nationally, about 40,000 people have lost their lives during this time in accidents involving young drivers – and we’re not even talking about those individuals whose lives were forever altered by serious injuries.
Now we’re not naive enough to believe the passage of this bill would put an end to these tragedies in New Hampshire. But we do believe some provisions in this bill could play a significant role in reducing their frequency.
We can only hope that our elected lawmakers will consider this bill on its merits next year, not as a prop for the endless debate over which is the real party of taxers and spenders.
