Teen safety program now illegal

[CalicoPenn]

Can't the program be run through a local community college or a local 4-year university or college? Wouldn't that solve the illegality problems if the drivers were all over 18?

 

Calico

[hops_scout]

"Actually under the old law 16 year-olds had the 12:01 am curfew and 17 year-olds had no curfew. Under the new law both have an 11 pm curfew. Safe Ride drivers had to be at least 17 with 1 year of driving experience so they wouldn't have been in violation of the old law. However, the old law also limited the number of passengers for 17 year-old drivers to one person under the age of 20. That said, Safe Ride's practice of providing a navigator under 20 years-old for the driver providing the ride home to a client was potentially illegal under the old law (depending on the age of the client)."

 

Actually under the old law, only drivers with less than 6 months of driving experience who are under the age of 18 had the 1-passenger rule. That has recently been extended to one full year.

[Beavah]

Yah, MarkS. Sorry to hear about your old friend.

 

I've been First Responder on any number of teen and adult auto accidents. It's always a sadness. Though I do cheer for the seatbelt wearers! That's a law with near zero cost and nuthin' but benefits.

 

I know in my state, though, that drivin' curfew would hurt some families, especially single moms with shift work who often rely on teen drivers for things. When the school you attend is 30 miles away from your home on rural roads, the evenin' practice for the school play can put yeh into the curfew zone. Sometimes junior is the guy who closes up and cleans up the family shop at 10pm, and might not get done until 11 (plus he often stays to finish his HW, since it's quiet at the shop).

 

Those are real, live, honest-to-goodness hardworkin' young people and their families that I know personally who would be hurt by this law. And they're solid citizens and responsible drivers to boot. Prohibitions have costs, as well as benefits, and law is unfortunately a blunt and unforgivin' instrument.

 

Beavah

 

[John-in-KC]

Please forgive the intrusion...

 

Last night, Kansas City had a rain-ice-snow storm. Today, all metro schools closed.

 

Last night, a classmate of EagleSon was driving home on the Interstate. The roads were bad enough she lost control and went into a spin. She struck a tractor-trailer. You're smart enough to determine the rest.

 

B, I'm on our PTA "buckle up" committee. I don't know yet. This is tragic enough I'm not sure I want to know the deeper particulars for a while.

 

We parents have been dealing with our kids and their loss of a friend this afternoon. This one was sober.

 

Illegal or not, reality is teens drink. Teens do drugs. Not all the children we know are in their full faculties. If a Venturing Crew steps up to the plate and offers a Plan B, they are showing moral courage far beyond their peers. IMO we should be lauding them for what they do, not questioning the wisdom of the project.

 

Are there perhaps better ways to do it? Yes. Are those better ways in place? Usually, no.

 

My thoughts. Please pray for the parents who lost a daughter today.

[Beavah]

All my prayers for the young lady's family, and for the trucker caught up in a tragedy not of his own making.

 

May our Father welcome His daughter home with love.

 

B