The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Local teenagers react to the new restrictive driving law

By Divya Chowdary

With the new restrictions on California's teenage drivers being fully enforced July 1, many teens are finding that the coveted pass to teenage freedom, the driver's license, comes with more than a few strings attached.

These new driving laws are a result of the Brady/Jared Teen Driver Safety Act of 1997, which Gov. Pete Wilson signed last October. The law is named after Brady Grasinger and Jared Cunningham, two teens killed in separate auto crashes in Southern California.

In accordance with this law, upon turning 16 and passing the driving test, a new driver receives a provisional one-year license. The key word here is provisional, which in this case means that during the first six months, drivers must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or licensed driver 25 years or older when driving between midnight and 5 a.m. or when transporting passengers under 20 years of age. During the second six months, teen drivers must be accompanied by a driver 25 or older only when driving between midnight and 5 a.m., but the teen driver may have passengers under 20 years old without supervision. In addition, even before a license is issued, parents must certify in writing that they have spent 50 hours, including 10 hours at night, driving with their teen. If a teen meets all these requirements and doesn't receive a ticket during the first year of driving, the restrictions are removed.

Penalties for violating the Brady/Jared Bill include up to 24 hours of community service, a $35 fine for the first offense and up to $50 for additional violations.

This new law is a result of the efforts of Jared Cunningham's parents. Jared was only 13 years old when his teenage friend, who was driving the vehicle the boys were in, made a mistake that cost Jared his life.

As Jared's parents learned to cope with the loss of their son, they realized that teenage driving accidents are far too common. In fact, statistics show that a 16-year-old driver is four times more likely to get into an accident than an adult driver. The Cunninghams then joined forces with state Sen. Tim Leslie, to devise a driving bill that would make it harder for teens to get their license.

Their goal was not to punish teens, but simply to increase the amount of practice that a teen driver gets before having a restriction-free license. Their combined efforts took shape in the form of the Brady/Jared Teen Driver Safety Act.

With the added restrictions, the law aims to reduce the number of teenage driving fatalities. According to DMV spokesman Evan Nossoff, statistics show that drivers under 18 are five times more likely to be involved in an accident involving injury or fatality. Furthermore, as the number of 15- to 19-year-old drivers in California increases by an estimated 33 percent over the next decade, studies predict that the number of teen driving fatalities will increase as well.

But for local teens who must abide by this law, the Brady/Jared Teen Driver Safety Act seems to produce mixed feelings. "I think it's unfair that just because there are some bad drivers out there, everybody gets punished," said Sara Jones, who won't be eligible to get her driver's license until this September. Though many teens seem to echo this opinion, there are those that disagree. "We're all used to waiting 16 years to be able to drive with just our friends, so what's another six months?" said Alex Ramirez, while waiting in line to take his driving test.

From a parental point of view, the law is beneficial. "This law reinforces the fact that being given the privilege to drive is something that should be taken very seriously," said Linda Brown, mother of two teenage daughters.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, August 12, 1998.
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