Assigned to TRANS                                                                                             FOR CAUCUS & FLOOR ACTION

 

 

 

 

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Forty-eighth Legislature, First Regular Session

 

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1347

 

teenage driver safety act

 

 

Purpose

 

            Alters the graduated driver license program by restricting nighttime driving, altering the instructional permit period, and placing limitations on carrying passengers for drivers who are under the age of 18.

 

Background

 

            According to the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a graduated driver licensing system is designed to ease young drivers into the driving environment through controlled exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences or driver licensing stages prior to full licensure. In 1999, the Arizona legislature adopted a graduated licensing program, which awards a class G license to drivers under the age of 18. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 37 states have adopted some form of graduated licensing programs as of the year 2000.

 

            A person may apply for an instructional permit at the age of 15 years and 7 months. This permit allows the holder to drive with a licensed driver in the front passenger seat. After holding this permit for 5 months and completing an approved driver education program or 25 hours of supervised driving practice (with 5 of those hours taking place at night), a person may apply for a class G license. A class G license allows the licensee to drive a motor vehicle on public highways. There are currently no additional restrictions for drivers under 18 years of age associated with a class G license.

 

            According to the NHTSA, 16 year old drivers are 15 times more likely to crash than 20-24 year old drivers. The NCSL reports that although teen drivers make up 7 percent of the driving population, they are responsible for 14 percent of vehicle accidents. After implementing a graduated licensing system similar to the one proposed in S.B. 1347, the Georgia Department of Public Safety reported a 26 percent decrease in accidents with drivers ages 16-17 and a 230 percent increase in driver license suspensions.

 

            The Arizona Motor Vehicle Division anticipates a minimal fiscal impact to this legislation, associated with programming costs and new materials.

 

 

 

Provisions

 

Instructional Permits

 

1.      Reduces the age at which a person is eligible for an instructional permit from 15 years and 7 months to 15 years and 6 months.

 

2.      Requires the person supervising an instructional permit holding driver to be at least 21 years old.

 

3.      Extends the time than an instructional permit is valid from 6 months to 7 months.

 

Class G License Application

 

4.      Increases the time that an applicant for a class G license or class M motorcycle license must hold an instructional permit from 5 to 6 months.

 

5.      Increases the number of hours of supervised driving practice required to apply for a license from 25 to 30, and increases the number of night driving hours from 5 to 10. Applicants for a class M motorcycle license or motorcycle endorsement who are under 18 years of age must complete 30 hours of motorcycle driving practice.

 

Class G License Restrictions

 

6.      Prohibits a Class G licensee from engaging in the following activities for the first 6 months of licensure:

a)      driving between midnight and 5 A.M., unless accompanied by a parent or driving to or from a specified location or event.

b)      driving with more than one passenger under the age of 18, unless the passengers are the driver’s siblings or the driver is accompanied by a parent.

 

7.      Specifies that a peace officer may not stop or cite a person for a violation of these provisions without reasonable suspicion of another violation.

 

8.      Ceases the driving restrictions on the licensee’s 18th birthday.

 

Penalties for Violating License Restrictions

 

9.      Assesses a maximum $75 civil penalty for a first violation of the above restrictions and extends the restrictions for 30 days.

 

10.  Assesses a maximum $100 civil penalty for a second violation and extends the restrictions for 60 days.

 

11.  Assesses a maximum civil penalty of $100 for a third violation and suspends the driver’s license for 30 days.

 

 

 

12.  Requires a license suspension resulting from a criminal or civil traffic violation to run consecutively to a suspension resulting from a violation of the license restrictions.

 

13.  Authorizes the court to accept notarized letters from parents, employers, school or religious officials as proof that a licensee was returning from a permitted event.

 

14.  Makes conforming changes.

 

15.  Becomes effective on July 1, 2008.

 

Amendments Adopted by Committee

 

1.      Eliminates the provision which exempts schools, employees and religious institutions from liability.

 

2.      Makes technical and conforming changes.

 

Senate Action

 

TRANS           2/6/07     DPA     4-1-0

 

Prepared by Senate Research

February 7, 2007

DG/EHB/ac