COLUMBUS – Supporters of a bill that would tighten restrictions on teenage drivers in Ohio were scheduled to testify before a House panel Wednesday morning.
The Ohio House Transportation and Public Safety Committee was scheduled to take sponsor testimony on HB 293 Wednesday, Nov. 15, 9:00 a.m.
The “Young Driver Protection Bill” would lengthen the temporary instruction permit phase for young drivers from six months to one year to 12 months. Proponents of the measure say research indicates this is not long enough.
“A twelve-month permit phase is going to allow teen drivers to practice in all different weather conditions, give them that year of experience,” said Kim Schwind senior public affairs manager for the AAA Ohio Auto Club and co-chair of the Ohio Graduated Driver’s License Coalition.
The bipartisan bill would also require the supervised nighttime driving protections for newly-licensed teen drivers to begin at 9:00 p.m., rather than midnight. Supporters note that 75 percent of Ohio’s young driver nighttime crashes occur during those hours.
They also say the restriction is not a curfew, but a period when a teen driver must be supervised.
Crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States and 124 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers last year, says Kellie O’Riordan, the AAA’s traffic safety program manager.
New teen drivers, ages 16-17, are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash, according to recent research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.