The House Transportation Committee in Pennsylvania approved several driver-safety bills last Tuesday. One of them, HB 9, involves the enforcement of stronger driving and licensing restrictions for a segment of the driving population long known to be a high-risk auto insurance group: 16- and 17-year-olds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers in this age group (16- to 19-year-olds) are four times as likely (per mile driven) as more mature motorists to get into accidents. HB 9 was written specifically to address this issue, in part by increasing the already-extensive licensing requirements in the state of Pennsylvania.
Currently, Pennsylvania drivers under the age on 18 who are testing for a junior driver’s license must complete fifty hours of “supervised practical driving experience.” This bill would increase the required hours to sixty-five, with at least ten of them being at night, and a minimum of five hours of practice in inclement weather.
HB 9 would also restrict the number of passengers under the age of 18 to one, when the driver was in possession of a junior license. This sort of restriction has been shown to help reduce the number of teenager involved in fatal crashes, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS adds that when there are are three or more passengers the fatal crash risk is roughly “…3 times higher than when a beginner drives alone.”
While the House Transportation Committee’s passage of HB 9 is a good first step, the bill must still be approved by the entire House and pass the state Senate before being sent to the governor of Pennsylvania to be signed into law.