Tag Archives: laws

Teens

The Facts: PA Young Driver Licensing

Pennsylvania licenses young drivers through a three-stage program, reflecting the driver’s gradual progression in skill, experience and decision-making ability.

LEARNER’S PERMIT

After successfully completing a physical examination, vision screening and knowledge test, young drivers may begin behind-the-wheel practice. Basic driving skills and safe habits are developed under adult-supervised conditions. Requirements under the law include:

  • Six months of learning: A six-month skill-building period to practice and gain experience is required before a young driver may take the road test for a junior license.
  • Supervising adult for permit holder must be at least 21: An experienced, licensed driver aged 21 or older must accompany the young driver at all times.
  • 65 hours of adult-supervised skill building: A parent or guardian must certify (Parent or Guardian Certification Form (DL-180C)) that the young driver’s six months of skill building included at least 65 hours of practical, adult-supervised driving experience.
  • Nighttime driving restriction begins at 11:00 PM: The young driver may not be behind the wheel between the hours of 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Young drivers may travel for employment and for volunteer or charitable service during these hours, but they must carry proper documentation.
  • Passenger limitation: The number of passengers must not exceed the number of seat belts in the vehicle. This applies to all drivers under age 18.
  • Learner’s permit valid for one year: The learner’s permit will be valid for one year with extensions for those requiring more practice time.
  • Required sanctions for high-risk drivers under age 18: A young driver’s permit will be suspended for 90 days if he or she accumulates six or more points or is convicted of a single high-speed violation (driving 26 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit).

JUNIOR LICENSE

Young drivers who graduate to a junior license have satisfactorily completed all learner’s permit requirements, including the road test, but the following restrictions still apply:

  • Required sanctions for high-risk drivers under age 18: A young driver’s junior license will be suspended for 90 days if he or she accumulates six or more points or is convicted of a single high-speed violation (driving 26 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit).
  • Nighttime driving restriction begins at 11:00 PM: Even with a junior license, a young driver may not be behind the wheel between the hours of 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Exceptions for employment and volunteer or charitable service will apply, but young drivers must carry proper documentation regarding their need to travel.
  • Passenger limitation: The number of passengers must not exceed the number of seat belts in the vehicle. This applies to all drivers under age 18.

UNRESTRICTED LICENSE

A full, unrestricted license – typically issued at age 18 – provides unlimited driving privileges to teenagers who have progressed through the graduated system and have an established history of safe driving, If certain conditions are met, some young drivers may qualify for an early license before age 18.

  • Unrestricted license before age 18: A young driver cannot obtain an unrestricted license before age 18 unless he or she has maintained a crash-and conviction-free record for 12 months and has completed an approved driver’s education course. To apply for an unrestricted license before age 18, young drivers must complete a special form, DL-59, and submit it to PennDOT along with a certificate of completion from an approved driver’s education course.  An affidavit of consent from a parent, guardian, person in loco parentis or spouse who is at least 18 years of age must also be provided.
  • Passenger limitation: The number of passengers must not exceed the number of seat belts in the vehicle. This applies to all drivers under age 18.
  • Required sanctions for high-risk drivers under age 18: A young driver’s unrestricted license will be suspended for 90 days if he or she accumulates six or more points or is convicted of a single high-speed violation (driving 26 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit).
Safe Driving Tips

Feds Want End To Texting While Driving

Today, federal Transportation Secretary Ray La Hood proposed voluntary steps to establish new safety criteria for hands-free calling, navigation and entertainment systems in cars.

“Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit on America’s roadways — that’s why I’ve made it a priority to encourage people to stay focused behind the wheel,” LaHood said.

Distracted driving deaths totaled 3,092 in 2010, the latest available figures show. But LaHood’s agency believes the total could be higher due to the unwillingness of drivers to always admit behavior, lack of witnesses to a crash in some cases, or the death of the driver.

Most U.S. motorists surveyed last year acknowledged few situations in which they would not use a cellphone or text while behind the wheel. However, they supported measures to curb both practices, the Transportation Department said.

La Hood’s proposal recommends disabling in-vehicle electronic devices that the driver could use when a car is moving. This would cover text messaging, Internet browsing, and access to social media.  The National Transportation Safety Board also recommended in December that certain hands-free and communication devices be banned in cars.

Bicycle And Pedestrian Safety, Highway Safety, Safe Driving Tips

PA Bicycle Rules Change

PA Gets A Safe Passing Law

On February 2, 2012, Governor Corbett signed House Bill 170 into law, making a few changes to the rules of the road concerning bicycles.  PA’s new “Safe Passing” law is intended to protect bicyclists on the roads, and takes effect in 60 days.  Here’s what you need to know about the new law.

  • If you’re passing a bicyclist, you MUST leave at least 4 feet between your car and the bicycle, and you MUST pass at a reasonably reduced speed.  In other words, slow down and leave plenty of room when passing a bike.
  • As a car driver, you CANNOT interfere with the path of a bicyclist.  This means you CANNOT pass a bicyclist and then immediately turn right in front of them.  If you need to turn right, slow down and do so after the bike clears the intersection.
  • As a bicyclist, you MUST keep your bike as close to the right edge of the road as possible to allow faster traffic to safely move around you.
Community Outreach, Highway Safety, Safe Driving Tips

Super Bowl Safe

This Sunday, February 5, the Giants take on the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.  The game starts at 6:30PM and will air live on NBC.  For those of you planning to have a few drinks during the game, or know someone who will, please make sure you’ve got a designated driver you can trust before the game starts.

In 2010, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities.

Fans Don't Let Fans Drive DrunkIf football fans plan to drink during the Super Bowl, designating a sober driver can help increase the chance of avoiding an alcohol-impaired-driving crash.

Let’s be clear – drunk or buzzed driving is not an accident, and it certainly isn’t a victimless crime.  10,228 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 in which a driver had a B.A.C. over the legal limit.

There are just too many drivers out there who believe that having just a few drinks and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is harmless. But numbers don’t lie.  Drinking and driving can result in loss of life or serious injury.  These not only affect the lives of the impaired driver but can affect other families as well.

When you choose to drink, drink responsibly, and pass your keys to a sober driver.  Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is not worth the risk. If you know of someone who has been drinking and is planning to drive, please remember Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

Highway Safety, Safe Driving Tips, Teens

Female Drunk Drivers On The Rise

According to a new study by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the number of female drivers arrested for drunk driving has more than doubled in the last twenty years.

In 1980, females accounted for just 9 percent of alcohol-related arrests.  By 2004, that number increased to 20 percent.

The report recommends ways to make it easier for females to participate in treatment programs, including providing child care and single-gender programs.

From the report: “Since the increase in female drunk driving behavior first garnered
attention in the late 1980s6, there have been three main hypotheses regarding factors associated with this phenomenon. These explanations center on changes in female roles in society, changes in social norms, and changes in social control mechanisms.”  You can read the full report here.

What do you think?  Why is drunk driving among females on the rise?

Highway Safety, PennDOT News, Teens

It’s Official: Texting Is Illegal

We’ve all seen that person in traffic texting away while driving, eyes down to their lap, working the wheel with their forearms or knees, blissfully unaware of their surroundings and the danger they themselves have become to everyone around them.

Effective March 8, 2012, it is illegal to send, read or write a text message while driving in PA.  Here are the details:

  • PRIMARY OFFENSE: Police can pull you over if they suspect you of texting while driving.
  • ALL IWCDs: The law includes smart phones, cell phones, tablets…anything wireless that can send/receive text messages.
  • INCLUDES EMAIL: So don’t read those while moving either.
  • APPLIES TO ALL DRIVERS: not just commercial operators.

It’s a $50 fine each time you get caught texting, which is a lesser penalty than living with the guilt if your distraction kills someone.  If you know someone who texts regularly while driving, pass this on to them.

Highway Safety, PennDOT News

PA Driving Laws Get Graded

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an alliance between consumer, health and safety groups and insurance companies, recently released their 2012 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws.  This report grades each state on its performance in adopting critical highway safety laws.  How did Pennsylvania fare?

Each state earns a ranking based upon their commitment to improving laws in critical areas, as follows:

  • GREEN: Good
  • YELLOW: Caution (Needs Improvement)
  • RED: state falls dangerously behind

In 2011, Pennsylvania advanced from RED to YELLOW status because of the passenger restriction element of its new teen driver law and its new text message restriction on all drivers.

By comparison, most of our neighboring states perform much better – New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia all have the highest rating, while Ohio and Virginia still rank in the red.  Check out the full report here.

Teens

PA’s New Teen Driver Law

Governor Tom Corbett signed the new Teen Driver Law, known as “Lacey’s Law”, on October 25, 2011.  The law took effect December 24, 2011.

What does this new law mean to teen drivers?  There are several provisions you need to understand:

1. PASSENGER LIMIT

Under the new bill, teens under the age of 18 are not allowed to have more than one non-family passenger under 18 with them in the car, unless accompanied by a parent.  This means you can no longer give four or five friends a ride to school – pick your favorite and that’s it.  You can have more than one passenger over the age of 18, and family members don’t count for this law – so if you would normally give rides to your younger sister and brother, that’s still okay.  But only one friend under 18 in the car with you at any time.

Once you’ve had your license for six months, the non-family passenger limit increases to a maximum of three, so long as you maintain a clean, safe driving record or unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

2. MORE TRAINING HOURS

Before this law, you needed to get 50 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel training before you could take the driver’s test.  That minimum is now up to 65, and the extra hours have their own requirements.  Under the new law, 10 hours must be done at night, and five must be done in inclement weather (rain, ice, fog and snow).

3. SEAT BELT LAW CHANGE

The new law makes it a primary offense not to use your seat belt under 18 – this means the police can pull you over if they see you driving un-belted.  And it applies to all of your passengers under 18, too – if your friend isn’t wearing his seat belt, the cops can ticket you.

Community Outreach

U. S. Department of Transportation Proposes to Eliminate Deadlines for Replacing Traffic Signs

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Obama Administration is eliminating dozens of burdensome regulations on traffic signs which cash-strapped state and local governments expect will save them millions of dollars. The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing that communities replace traffic signs when they are worn out rather than requiring signs to be replaced by a specific deadline. The proposed changes will eliminate 46 deadlines mandated by federal traffic control regulations.

In January, President Obama called for an unprecedented government-wide review of regulations already on the books. The purpose was to identify rules that needed to be changed or removed because they were unnecessary, out-of-date, excessively burdensome or overly costly.

“A specific deadline for replacing street signs makes no sense and would have cost communities across America millions of dollars in unnecessary expenses,” said Secretary LaHood. “After speaking with local and state officials across the country, we are proposing to eliminate these burdensome regulations. It’s just plain common sense.”

Stop SignThe regulations establishing deadlines for street and traffic sign replacement came from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is a compilation of national standards for all pavement markings, street signs and traffic signals.  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has published the manual since 1971, updates it periodically to accommodate changing transportation needs and address new safety technologies, traffic control tools, and traffic management techniques.

FHWA today issued a Notice of Proposed Amendments to eliminate 46 of the deadlines in the manual.

“Local and state transportation agencies are best-equipped to determine when they need to replace signs and other items in the course of their daily work,” said FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez.  “We are proposing these changes to give them the flexibility they need to balance their many responsibilities and make the best use of taxpayer dollars.”

The deadlines requiring that certain street name signs be replaced by 2018 to meet minimum retroreflectivity standards and requiring larger lettering on those street name signs are among the series of deadlines eliminated under the amendment proposed today. The proposal would also eliminate deadlines for increasing the size of various traffic signs, such as ‘Pass With Care’ and ‘One Way,’ as well as warning signs, such as ‘Low Clearance’ and ‘Advance Grade Crossing.’  Instead, communities will be able to replace and upgrade these signs when they reach the end of their useful life.

The DOT has retained twelve deadlines for sign upgrades that are critical to public safety. These safety-critical sign upgrades include installing “ONE WAY” signs at intersections with divided highways or one-way streets and requiring STOP or YIELD signs to be added at all railroad crossings that don’t have train-activated automatic gates or flashing lights.

Last November, FHWA published a request for comments in the Federal Register on deadlines and received almost 600 comments from highway agencies, state departments of transportation, other organizations, and private citizens.  FHWA took these comments into consideration as it developed the Notice of Proposed Amendments.  FHWA is also soliciting public comments for this proposed rule for the next 60 days, and comments should be directed to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/