10:56 p.m.: More rules for young drivers possible

By Barrett Newkirk, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer

September 20, 2008 10:56 pm

— ANDERSON — Local teens had mixed reactions this week to news that Indiana lawmakers may soon impose more restrictions on the state’s youngest drivers.
A legislative study committee heard testimony Thursday in support of a ban on cell phones for teen drivers and a requirement for at least 50 hours of supervised driver practices before getting a driver’s license.”
Jordan Smith, 18, said he could support laws that made it tougher for anyone to get behind the wheel of a car, but he didn’t think it was fair to single out teenagers and forbid them from using their phones while driving.
“It’s bad to legislate against teenagers just because they’re teenagers,” he said.
But 16-year-old Ashlee Purkey said the cell phone ban was a good idea.
“You don’t need to talk on the phone while driving,” she said. “You need to concentrate on what you’re doing.”
Similar proposals have gained little traction in the Statehouse during previous legislative sessions. A bill proposed during the 2008 session was weakened down, merely creating the study committee instead of enacting any restrictions.
Lawmakers heard emotional testimony on Thursday supporting the changes. A mother whose young daughter was killed in a car wreck involving a teenage driver wiped away tears as she urged lawmakers to require more driving experience.
The committee also heard from 24-year-old Kira Hudson, of Noblesville, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a single-car accident four years ago. Hudson said she was driving and talking on the cell phone when she swerved and hit a line of trees.
“I wasn’t paying 100 percent attention,” she said from her wheelchair. “Don’t let my story happen to others.”
Rep. Terri Austin, D-36, is vice chairwoman of the study committee but was unable to attend this week’s session. She said the proposal was meant to restrict all beginning drivers, not just teenagers.
The study committee will meet again to discuss the issue on Oct. 10.
The original version of the bill proposed last session would have required teen drivers with learner’s permits to log 50 hours of supervised driving experience, including 10 hours at night, before getting their driver’s licenses. It would also have prohibited drivers under the age of 18 from using cell phones or any handheld devices while driving, as well as pushed the minimum age to get a driver’s license to 16 and six months, instead of 16 and one month.
Austin said she recommended the bill be changed to only form the study committee because other, high-priority issues were before the General Assembly. She said it was too early to know if the restrictions had enough support from legislators to become law during the upcoming session.
“I do think that folks are concerned and want to do anything we can to minimize the distractions for new drivers,” she said.
But some lawmakers believe that government oversteps its boundaries with harsher restrictions, and that parents should make sure their children are prepared to drive before they are allowed to do so.
Others question whether parents and their teenagers would struggle to complete 50 hours of driving practice. Practice would have to be supervised by a licensed instructor or licensed driver who is at least 25 years old.
Driver’s education classes run by commercial companies can give students extra practice without parental involvement, but can be pricey.
John McCord has operated a driving school in Anderson since 2003. He charges $399 for a beginning driver’s course that includes 30 hours of in-class instruction and six hours behind the wheel of a car. Additional one-on-one driving instruction is $40 per hour.
McCord, who said the minimum six hours only covers the basics of driving, strongly encourages parents to spend whatever time they can observing their teenagers drive from the front passenger’s seat.
That’s why he supports the 50 hours of supervised driving along with the cell phone ban. But it’s not just new or young drivers who need to be careful, he warned.
“I think teenagers are probably the worst with it, but I see a lot of men and women alike driving and taking on their phones,” he said. “Sooner or later, it’s going to get you in trouble.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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