Why Is Pennsylvania So Lax When It Comes To Laws Regarding Teenage Drivers? – Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Weighs In
In Pennsylvania, a new, young and inexperienced driver can load up a car with as many friends as there are seat belts. In New Jersey, a newly licensed driver can only take one passenger from outside his household for a ride, a provision soon to become even more stringent according to an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 21, 2009. Delaware imposes limits on teen driver passengers as do 42 other states and the District of Columbia.
Many car accidents involving irresponsible teenagers result in fatalities or catastrophic injuries. Recently this was highlighted in a death last month of six Chester and Montgomery County teens. There were sixteen passengers in one car and three in the other car. Obviously these deaths devastated the families of these victims and as anybody who was a teenage driver or parent knows, many times vehicles can become a party land in and or themselves and it is not often uncommon for teens to be smoking pot or driving while intoxicated. As Catherine Rossi, a spokeswoman for MidAtlantic AAA noted, “a vehicle becomes a virtual party barge when you start adding teenage passengers. Pennsylvania is lax when it comes to safety.” According to NTHSA studies, teenage drivers and passengers are also among the least likely to wear seat belts and failure to buckle up should be a primary offense.
In our Philadelphia car accident law practice, we have seen many instances of teenage driving resulting in catastrophic injuries when the teenager was texting while driving even though a ban has recently been enacted. State Rep. Catherine Watson has been pushing for tighter teen driving laws even though her colleagues have derided her as a hysterical mother. Her bill would restrict the junior licensed driver to only one non-household passenger under age 18 and household relatives under 18 would be permitted with parental approval. A study by Children’s Hospital and State Farm have noted that if parents use disciplined and set clear rules, teens are half as likely to crash.
