A bill to prohibit young people from using cell phones while driving is gaining traction in Pierre.
The bill prohibits those with learner and restricted permits from using electronic devices while driving. It’s part of a package of new legislation that came out of a task force looking at teen driving safety.
SDPB’s Charles Michael Ray listened to committee testimony and has today’s Dakota Digest.
Teenagers are good at doing dumb things. Just go to You Tube and type in the word “fail” you’ll find hours of videos showing bike crashes, skateboard accidents, cliff jumping mishaps and other sorts of carnage. But, by the numbers one of the really dangerous things South Dakota teenagers do, is drive down a highway.
“We are more or less at least twice a dangerous a place for teens as compared to around the nation,” says State Senator Craig Tiezen.
Republican State Senator Craig Tiezen is the former Rapid City Police Chief. He took part in a task force that studied the high numbers of teen fatal car accidents in the state. The group came back with a host of recommendations centered in four bills. Teenagers like Molly McCaskell, a senior at Stevens High School spoke in favor of the legislation. In testimony McCaskell shared a story about one of her peers.
“As and inexperienced 15 year old driver she was driving and on a gravel road with no seat belt going fast using her cell phone and talking to a friend she lost control of the car flipping it and immediately totaling the car and herself when she woke up in the hospital she knew that the decisions she made that day were going to change the rest of her life,” says McCaskell.
McCaskell testifies that her friend ended up with serious back injuries that she is still struggling through. The proposed legislation is aimed at reducing these sort of accidents with a host of changes to the regulations around teen driving. State Senator Tiezen spoke in favor of all the bills. One Bill changes the number of days that a teenager must hold an instructor’s permit—in a nutshell it means that 14 year olds who want to drive must be accompanied by a parent.
“I think we all understand that although some 14 years olds are capable of taking on a complex task of driving many are not. And, those of us that grew up on a farm can tell stories about driving a tractor at age 10 and those sorts of things which is exactly what I did but I would never even consider letting my kids do that when they were 10 years old,” says Tiezen.
Another bill out of the task force limits the number of passengers who can ride with a teenage driver, unless they are carpooling to school. A third bill creates a statewide drivers education program. Under the legislation teens who take drivers ed get a faster track to driving solo, without an adult. Senator Tiezen also spoke in favor of a bill that bans the use of cell phones for 14 and 15 year old drivers.
“In this case we’re talking about all communications, using a cell phone, texting on a cell phone. For kids under the age of 16 we think they ought to be spending full time paying attention to their driving,” says Tiezen.
No one spoke against any of the bills in committee. But a litany of proponents spoke in favor – besides teenage drivers, they include health care providers, law enforcement personnel, and insurance agents. Lobbyist Bob Miller brought a unique perspective to the committee. He represents both the State Transit Association and the South Dakota Funeral Directors.
“Teen texting driving communication device is a serious problem in South Dakota and we have an opportunity in South Dakota right now to fix that and on behalf of the funeral directors right now we have an opportunity in front of you right now to fix that. And on behalf of the funeral directors I can just simply tell you that we don’t need to pick up any more dead kids in the streets,” says Miller.
Proponents say they realize if this sort of legislation passes teens will still take part in bad behavior behind the wheel. But they stand behind the bills as a way to send a message to the youth. Proponents say the legislation reinforces safe driving practices. That message is getting across to some kids.
“The higher amounts of deaths in South Dakota is astonishing to me because of how many teens are texting and driving then they crash their car and it’s just like what are they thinking,” says Denett
Courtney Denett, a senior at Rapid City Stevens High School, is part of a student group called “Crash Course.”
“Crash Course Committee at Stevens High School recently just made window clings with a cell phone on it circled with it x’ed-out. I have one on my car just so everybody knows I don’t text and drive because I would like to have everybody to know that they are save on the road,” says Denett.
While lawmakers can debate the issue endlessly, it seems worth remembering that teenagers often do the exact opposite of whatever they’re told by adults. Testimony by young people like Courtney Denett shows that legislation will prove most effective if it can somehow tap into a stronger motivator for teens that is peer pressure.
The teen driving bills include SB105, SB 106, SB107, and SB216. They all passed the Senate Transportation Committee are now headed to the State Senate floor.