Provisional driver in crash was drinking, authorities say

EXCLUSIVE: A 17-year-old provisional driver who’d been drinking was behind the wheel when his 2009 Ford Mustang crashed on a Route 17 exit ramp in Waldwick early this morning, authorities said. Three teenaged passengers from Waldwick were also injured in the 2 a.m. crash, which investigators say involved excessive speed and recklessness.

The driver had been drinking and apparently was speeding when he lost control of the car, which struck a tree, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli.

The front-seat passenger, an 18-year-old woman, was treated at Hackensack University Medical Center for cuts on her face, and a 19-year-old male who was sitting in back sustained a leg injury, he said.

A 20-year-old female who was in the back seat is listed in serious condition, Molinelli said. All of them, like the driver, are from Waldwick, he said.

New Jersey lawmakers have taken great pains to help protect teen drivers by issuing provisional licenses. But there’s little they can do if the license holders don’t follow the law.

The provisional driver license restrictions:

* No driving between 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
* Passengers must be from your household. Only one additional person from outside your household is allowed in the vehicle
* You can’t use cell phones, hand held video games or any other hand held electronic device

There are no passenger or hour restrictions for someone at least 21 years old.


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