On October 25, 2011, Governor Corbett passed into law House Bill 9, which strengthens teen driver rules and will save lives in Pennsylvania. This legislation is the result of years of study and expert consultation, which included consideration of these sobering facts:

• Traffic accidents are the number one killer of teenagers;
• The vehicle accident fatality rate of 16-19 year olds is four times that of adults;
• Inexperience and distractions caused by passengers are major contributing factors to most teen crashes;
• Study has shown that the chances of a 16-year old dying in a collision increases 39% with one teen passenger, 86% with two and 182% with three. 

The new law, which becomes effective on December 24, 2011, includes the following:

Increased Pre-License Training

The new law increases the behind-the-wheel training that a teen driver with a driving permit must have before taking the Junior License test.  Training is increased from 50 to 65 hours, 10 hours must be at nighttime and 5 hours during inclement weather. The expectation is that this increased training, as well as experience with nighttime and bad weather conditions, will reduce accidents caused by inexperience.

Passenger Limitations

The law imposes a restriction of one non-family member passenger under age 18 for the first six months with a junior driver's license.  After six months, the limit increases to three non-family members under the age of 18. However, if the junior driver has caused a reportable accident or has been convicted of any violation of the Vehicle Code, the junior driver's license carries a one person non-family passenger restriction.

Seatbelt Violation Becomes "Primary"

The new law also modifies the Seatbelt Law to make it a "primary" violation for a person under 18 to fail to wear a seatbelt or be secured in a car seat. This means that rather than having to wait for another violation to stop a driver and issue a ticket for failure to comply with the Seatbelt Law, a police officer can pull a car over for suspected seatbelt or car seat violations for drivers or passengers under 18.

As an attorney who has seen way too many teen fatalities and serious injuries caused by inexperienced drivers, distractions and/or failure to buckle up a seatbelt, I applaud the passage of this new law and expect it to save lives.