Teens' driving habits placed under scrutiny Special commission hears suggestions from parents, students BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer What can be done to decrease the startling recent spike in motor vehicle accidents involving teenagers was the topic of a public hearing conducted by the Governor's Teen Driver Study Commission on Nov. 19 at Colts Neck High School. Loved ones and friends of those lost in tragic accidents, along with concerned citizens, came out to offer suggestions of how to save the lives of young drivers. The commission is charged with assessing the state of teen driving in New Jersey and making recommendations to reduce motor vehicle tragedies involving young and inexperienced drivers on the state's roads. New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram opened the public hearing by telling those present that the goal of the commission is to make improvements to save lives. Many suggestions came out during the two-hour hearing, including ideas to increase the current six hours of required driving time and to increase the penalties for new drivers who are caught violating the requirements of their provisional license. Commission Chairwoman Pam Fischer, the director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said teenagers represent 5 percent of the driving population but account for 12 percent of the crashes. "We have to do something about this," Fischer said, adding that although teenage crashes are on a downward trend, the problem is that the crashes that do occur - such as the ones that have occurred in Monmouth and Ocean counties recently - tend to be horrific. Information presented during the public hearing indicated that the most prevalent factors in these accidents are driver inexperience, speed, distractions and lack of seat-belt use. It was noted that the holder of a graduated driver's license (GDL) is prohibited from using electronic devices while driving, including cell phones and iPods. "We look at driving as a privilege, not as a right," Fischer said, adding that raising the driving age is not an option the commission is considering recommending to Gov. Jon Corzine. She informed those in attendance that New Jersey already has the highest driving age in the country (16 to obtain a permit, 17 to obtain a provisional license). State Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-13) of Middletown said those who hold a provisional driver's license must be stopped from taking advantage of their autonomy behind the wheel. She said she has proposed legislation that would require a provisional driver to have a decal on his vehicle identifying him as the holder of a restricted license. Among the restrictions placed on the holder of a provisional license is a limit on the number of passengers the driver may have in the car who are not related to him. The penalties for violating the terms of the provisional license need to be increased as well, according to Handlin. If a 17-year-old is pulled over driving at 3 a.m. with four other people in his car, he only receives a $100 fine. Students from Freehold Township High School came to the public hearing in Colts Neck to speak about the accidents. The students are members of Project Lundy, a program that is designed to teach high school sophomores who have yet to receive a driver's license the importance of driving safely and responsibly. The group was formed in honor of Andrew Lundy, a Freehold High School student who was a passenger in a fatal motor vehicle accident on Kozloski Road, Freehold Township, earlier this year. "Checking the cars after school could have saved my friends and others," Samantha Patino, 17, said of spot checks that could be made to determine if more than the allowed number of passengers are in a vehicle being operated by a driver who holds a provisional license. Those present spoke of the need for the driving examination to be performed on a real road and not a closed course that does not demonstrate real situations. One student noted that during the required six-hour driving courses, a class was canceled due to rain. These are the types of conditions that need to be experienced by a young driver, according to the student. Freehold Township High School senior Neil Reyes told the commission members that teenagers are not listening because of the manner in which they are being taught. "It's most important to reach students at a personal level and make them understand the reasoning" for the laws, Reyes said, adding that peers should have a hand in presenting the information, as they do with Project Lundy. James Wasser, the superintendent of schools in the Freehold Regional High School District, was impressed by the number of district students who spoke. "Out of the mouths of babes come gems," Wasser said.