HARRISBURG — Young drivers could have only one passenger under age 18 in the first six months after receiving their junior license in a bill the state House overwhelmingly passed on Wednesday.
House Bill 9 also increases the number of hours a teen must drive on his learner’s permit, from 50 to 65, before receiving a junior license.
State Rep. Fred Keller, R-85, of Kreamer, was among the few who opposed the legislation that passed 188-6.
“On the surface, it looks like a good bill,” he said Wednesday. “The intent is to make the highway safer. But in doing that, I think that we take the personal responsibility out of the hands of the people, and the choice out of the hands of the people.”
He said he has talked with his constituents, and they don’t want this much governmental control.
“I think this is state government overstepping its bounds,” Keller said, adding that such an issue should be decided by the people, on a case-by-case basis.
For the first six months, teen drivers without a parent in the car would be allowed to carry only one friend or similar person under age 18 who is not a member of their own household. After that period, if the driver has not caused an accident, he or she would be restricted to three such passengers. Currently, the number of passengers for new junior drivers is limited only to the number of seat belts in the vehicle.
In Keller’s rural district, it may be necessary and more efficient to carpool, which would also reduce negative environmental affects, since fewer cars would be on the road, he said. Also, with a limit of two teens in a car, that means there will be “more cars on the road with teen drivers,” Keller said.
It would also be difficult for police to enforce such a law, he said.
State Reps. C. Adam Harris, R-82, Mifflintown; Lynda Schlegel-Culver, R-108, Sunbury; and Kurt Masser, R-107, Elysburg, voted in favor of the bill, as did state Sen. Jake Corman, R-34, Bellefonte; and Sen. John Gordner, R-27, Berwick.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death among 16- to 19-year-olds, according to the Pennsylvania AAA Federation, the association of AAA clubs in the commonwealth.
John Kemble, father of Midd-West High student and crash victim Jacob Kemble, on Wednesday said the bill “would be a start.”
Jacob, 16, and schoolmate Kylie Hummel, 14, were killed in March 2010 when a minivan, driven by Patrick Sullivan, 18, was speeding and crashed into a utility pole. There were two other passengers in the van.
In addition to House Bill 9, he said he strongly believes the age of a person allowed to drive should be increased, driver’s education should be mandatory in schools, and more focus should be on drug and alcohol awareness.
There should also be more parental supervision for teen drivers, Kemble said, “until they get a brain on their shoulders.”
Midd-West Superintendent Wes Knapp said he believes the legislation may help to reduce accidents involving teen drivers.
“My understanding is that data reflects that the more young people there are in the vehicle, the greater the probability of an accident due to distractions that would take place,” he said. “That makes sense to me.”
Though “it may seem like it will cramp their style,” Knapp said, “if it ultimately saves the lives and the lives of others, it’s a good thing.”
In June 2010, four Danville athletes were injured in a crash, two of them critically; a 16-year-old was driving.
In January 2010, another star high school athlete, Alex Moser, a swimmer at Milton Area High, was killed when his speeding car struck a pole and flipped; his two teen passengers were seriously injured.
The 65 hours behind the wheel training time would include 10 hours of nighttime and inclement weather driving. The bill also requires primary enforcement of seat belts for teens and for booster seats.
— Email comments to tpursell@dailyitem.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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