Lawmakers want tougher teen driving restrictions

Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s why State Rep. Joe Micon is trying to pass a bill he says could reduce the number of deaths in Indiana by up to 40 percent.\nMicon wants to strengthen Indiana’s Graduated Driver’s License systems by raising the minimum age for unrestricted licenses, making the learner’s permit holding period longer, creating greater restrictions on passengers allowed to ride with probationary drivers and making tougher night driving restrictions. Micon also encourages the prevention of 16- and 17-year-old drivers from using cell phones while driving, all according to a press release.\nMicon said Indiana’s driver’s license system laws are lax compared to other states.\nIndiana’s laws now allow teen drivers to obtain a learner’s permit at age 15 and a probationary license at 16, followed three months later by a standard driver’s license.\nMicon says he wants to raise these age limits. If his bill passes, teens would be able to receive a learner’s permit at 15 1/2 if they pass driver’s education. They would then be required to hold that permit for six months and log 50 hours worth of driving experience. At 16 years and six months of age, teens would be allowed to take their driving test.\nMicon said if the teen does not pass driver’s education or neglects to take it, those age restrictions would be raised by six more months.\nTeens would be prohibited from driving between the times of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. with the exception of teens going to or from school, work or church activities.\nAccording to a study conducted from 1995 to 2004, 887 Indiana teenagers died in car accidents. Micon said nearly 6,000 teens were killed nationwide, in a press release.\n“(This bill) really resonates with me personally because I have a 17 1/2-year-old daughter,” Micon said. “I understand that young people want freedom and mobility. I also understand that many young people are just not physically or mentally prepared to begin the driving experience.”\nMicon said many states surrounding Indiana are stricter with their driving laws.\n“In Ohio, you can’t get a license until you’re 18 without driver’s education,” Micon said. “Indiana is 16 1/2.”\nMicon said this year there will be 30 states trying to pass similar legislation.\n“Legislators are realizing that they need to give this a lot of attention,” Micon said.