Legislature OKs Limits on Teen Drivers

Legislation imposing sweeping new curbs on teenage drivers whizzed out of the state Senate on Friday, with backers predicting that the plan would dramatically reduce accidents involving young motorists.

The bill, which now goes to Gov. Pete Wilson, was written by state Sen. Tim Leslie (R-Carnelian Bay), who calls it the most important achievement of his 11-year legislative career “because it will save lives.”

“I’m thrilled,” Leslie said. “This bill is not about punishing our kids. It’s about keeping them safe.”

Wilson has not taken a position on the bill, an aide said. If he signs it, California will join 20 states that have tightened restrictions on teenagers when they first climb behind the wheel.

“States that have passed laws like this have seen tremendous reductions in crashes that kill and injure young people,” said Anne Drumm of the Automobile Club of Southern California. Maryland saw such wrecks drop 40%, and Pennsylvania experienced a 69% decline, Drumm said.

Leslie’s bill (SB 1329) would impose stiff rules for teenagers with learner’s permits and succeeding provisional licenses, which drivers would hold until they turn 18.

If the bill becomes law, the rules would take effect in July. Among the changes:

* For six months after obtaining a provisional license, teenagers could not carry passengers under age 20 without a parent or adult older than 25 in the car.

* For an entire year after obtaining a provisional license, teenagers could not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless an adult is along. Exemptions are granted for driving to school or work, and for family or medical reasons.

* Drivers under 18 would have to hold a learner’s permit for six months, compared to the 30 days now required. During that time, parents would have to spend 50 hours driving with their child. The law requires parents to spend car time with drivers-in-training, but does not specify how much.

If signed by Wilson, the law would be subject to so-called “secondary enforcement,” meaning it would only apply if teenagers were pulled over for speeding, running a red light or some other infraction first. Violators could be fined as much as $50 or be forced to perform up to 24 hours of community service.

Leslie, the father of two grown children, said he wrote the bill because car crashes are the No. 1 killer of youths ages 15 to 19. On average, one teenage driver is killed every other day in California.

Though young people typically drive fewer miles than the average motorist and comprise only 4% of licensed drivers, they account for 9% of all fatal crashes and 10% of all injury crashes in the state, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The measure was approved without debate in the Senate on a 23-3 vote. In the Assembly earlier in the week, however, the legislation hit a speed bump in the person of Dick Floyd (D-Wilmington).

Floyd accused Leslie of “beating up on young people” and said it was unreasonable to expect parents to spend 50 hours driving with their children.

But Drumm of the Automobile Club of Southern California, a sponsor of the bill, disagreed.

“This measure is not punitive. It’s about saving lives,” Drumm said. “When someone learns to swim, you don’t start them in the deep end. You start them in the shallow end until they develop skills and confidence. It’s the same with driving.”

The proposed law is named in memory of two teenage passengers killed in separate traffic crashes--Brady Grassinger of Los Angeles and Jared Cunningham of San Luis Obispo.

Grassinger was fatally injured in 1991 when the car in which she was riding was rear-ended by a drunk driver at 4 a.m. Cunningham died in 1994 when a car he was in crashed during a nighttime drag race.

The bill won the endorsement of the California State Automobile Assn. and a long list of traffic safety advocates, including medical and health organizations, insurance companies, teacher unions and anti-drinking organizations. There was no formal opposition.