“New laws restricting under-18 NY drivers take effect in February,” according to John O’Brien of The Post-Standard. While teenagers probably won’t be happy with their new rules, the plan is to make the road safer for everyone. Drivers under the age of 18 account for 20% of all accidents in New York, but only 12% of their drivers. While most people assume the crashes are related to drinking, they usually are not. The problem is inexperience on the road and distractions in the car.
Starting February 22, under-18 drivers will only be permitted one non-family passenger that is under-21 unless the driver’s parent or guardian is also in the car. New drivers will also have to complete 50 hours of driving instead of 20 in order to obtain their learner’s permit, with 15 hours occurring in the dark. In order to get a license, young drivers will have to have their learner’s permit for at least 6 months. The limited-use junior driver’s license that used to exist in NY will be eliminated with this new law.
The new law is good news for insurance companies like Dairyland insurance. Teenagers tend to be nervous drivers because of their inexperience on the road. Adding the distraction and peer pressure of a car full of friends can easily lead to riskier decisions and more accidents. Fewer accidents not only keeps other drivers safe, it can make for cheap car insurance rates as companies pay out less money in claims. New York State’s new law will help teenagers obtain more driving experience before being left alone in their cars and help eliminate the distraction of other teenagers in their vehicle.
