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Assemblyman Robert Schroeder
Assemblyman Bob Schroeder, R-Bergen said he will give the survey results to state Attorney General, who has been directed by Gov. Christie to determine whether New Jersey needs to scrap the decal rule, which is part of the Graduated Driver’s License statute better known as “Kyleigh’s Law.”
“We already know that this law is unpopular,” Schroeder told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Now we also need to determine what adjustments would help us achieve the law’s original goal, which is to increase teen driver safety.”
Informal surveys put the non-compliance number at 90 percent. A partial survey by Dow found only three reported incidents tied to the decals, but even she admitted the review lacked important details — beginning with how many are actually being used. Nor did it say how many crashes involved teens who shouldn’t have been behind the wheel.
Schroeder says his formal review will “help determine what adjustments would help us achieve the law’s original goal, which is to increase teen driver safety.”
He said he will give the results to Dow at the end of this coming week for her consideration before she issues an October report on whether New Jersey should keep or repeal the law. The results will also be made public, the assemblyman said.
“This is a chance to let your voice be heard” — and, Schroeder hopes, help change public policy.
To participate, go to: GDL survey
No email addresses will be collected or shared, Schroeder said. The names of those who participate remain strictly confidential, he said. The goal is to collect enough hard evidence that Dow will be convinced to support scrapping the decal portion of the law.
No one will contacted, Schroeder said, unless they ask to be.
The law is named after 16-year-old Kyleigh D’Alessio, a star athlete from Morris County who was killed in 2006 while riding in a vehicle driven by another teen. It was created as part of the GDL program, which prohibits young motorists from driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., with passenger restrictions, as well.
While many applaud the law’s intent, fears continue of the potential for the scarlet decals to attract predators, given that only probationary drivers under 21 must use them. Those who don’t can be fined $100.
Schroeder told CLIFFVIEW PILOT several probationary drivers statewide have said “their decals had gotten stolen but they didn’t bother replacing them or filing a police report.”
A bunch of fatal accidents the past year involved teen drivers who weren’t using the stickers, he added.
“We need to determine once and for all whether or not our teen drivers are actually following the GDL guidelines,” Schroeder said, “and if not, why?”
(NOTE: Please forward the link of this story to any parents and teens you know.)
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WRITE: AsmSchroeder@njleg.org
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