New Jersey Passes Law to Limit Teen Auto Accidents

Mike Ferrara

Attorney
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Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed two new bills aimed at making teen driving safer.

The first bill, named Kyleigh's Law after 16-year-old Kyleigh D'Alessio, an honors student from West Morris Central High School who was killed as a passenger in a car accident on Dec. 21, 2006 which also killed the teenage driver, will enforce the use of an identifying decal on vehicles driven by teens holding only a learner’s permit or provisional license.

The second bill will increase nighttime driving restrictions on learner’s permit and provisional license holders under New Jerseys' Graduated Driver License law. While the old rule prohibited teens with provisional licenses from driving between midnight and 5 a.m., the new one adds an hour, so that new drivers can’t be on the road from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Under this new bill, provisional license holders under 21 years old won’t be allowed to transport more than one passenger, whether or not they live with the other passengers.

Hopefully, the new laws will reduce teen accidents in the first place, and when accidents do happen, they will further reduce injuries. Driving in New Jersey is a dangerous endeavor for the most experienced driver.