Teen driving bill advances to full house
INDIANAPOLIS -- A bill in front of the full Indiana House will require teenagers to log at least 50 hours of supervised driving and wait longer before receiving a driver's license if passed.
The House Roads and Transportation Committee endorsed the bill Wednesday after making a few minor changes to the version passed by the Senate.
One of the changes includes moving the effective date on some of the provisions from this July to July 2010.
A ban on drivers younger than 18 from using cell phones and other telecommunications devices while behind the wheel would still take effect this July.
Proponents say the bill will save lives. Similar bills have failed to pass in the last two years, but this one appears to have bipartisan momentum.
Republican Sen. Travis Holdman of Markle sponsors the bill.
Other items in the bill include adding six months to the eligibility age for a learner's permit, a driver's license with driver's education and a license without driver's education.
It also adds at least 50 hours of practice, including 10 at night, with a parent or other licensed driver age 25 years or older. Teens will also not be allowed to carry passengers for the first six months after getting a license or drive late at night.
According to AAA, both nationally and in Indiana, nearly two of every three people killed in teen-driver crashes are people other than the teen driver.
More than 150 Hoosier teen drivers lost their lives in fatal crashes in Indiana last year.