Decals for teen drivers?
That’s right. This week New Jersey became the first state to require new drivers under 21 to display a decal on their front and back license plates indicating they are new drivers.
The law goes into effect in the spring of 2010. It applies to all those without full-privilege licenses. A violation carries a $100.00 fine. It is considered a secondary offense meaning the police will not be pulling teens over for no reason. Law enforcement will be checking for curfew violations and passenger restrictions on new drivers.
Photo by Contra Costa Times
Other changes in New Jersey’s teen driving laws include: a curfew between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.; only one passenger unless a parent or guardian is in the car; and no wireless device, hands-free or not is permited for kids with a probationary license.
The new law is called “Kyleigh’s Law” in honor of a 16-year-old passenger, Kyleigh D’Alessio, who died in a car accident in 2006. The driver was a teenager with a probationary license. Update: The law went into effect on May 1, 2010. Opponents maintain that the law is well intentioned but won’t improve safety, will subject motorists to nuisance traffic stops, and might entice criminals to target young drivers.
Find out more about teens and traffic laws.
This post was written by Tom Jacobs. Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including the recently published 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing). When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom can be found hiking, traveling and reading.
