Senate Enacts Bill to Keep Young Drivers Safe
May 24, 2005
AUGUSTA—Without opposition, the Senate enacted today LD 1129, An Act to Protect Young Drivers. The bill, submitted by Senator Dennis S. Damon (D-Hancock County) of Trenton, and co-sponsored by Representative Ross Paradis (D-Frenchville), would ban the use of radar detectors in motor vehicles operated by juveniles with an intermediate license. The bill failed enactment (72 nay, 66 yea, 13 absent) yesterday in the House of Representatives.
“I am very troubled by the course of action that has been taken by the House,” said Senator Damon. “This legislation has no ulterior motive – its enactment would simply ensure that our young drivers will be that much safer when operating a motor vehicle.”
Intermediate licenses are restricted licenses issued to individuals under the age of 18, and are in effect for a period of 180 days. Intermediate license holders are also prohibited from transporting non-family members, operating a motor vehicle between 12:00 am and 5:00 am, and talking on a cell phone while driving.
In 2003, 63 drivers aged 16 to 24 were involved in fatal crashes and 43 kids between the ages of 16 and 24 died in vehicles driven by other young drivers -- 30 of those accidents were a result of excessive, unsafe speed.
LD 1129 was voted out of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation by 12-1 margin. The bill, currently in non-concurrence, now returns to the House, which must then recede and concur with the Senate’s actions in order to ensure enactment.
“The State already controls or regulates the graduated license for beginner drivers, identifying what these young drivers can or cannot do,” said Rep. Paradis. “This bill is a logical extension of that license.”
“We need to enact this bill. Kids and adults alike need to slow down, and a radar detector in a vehicle, especially one operated by a teenager, gives the driver a false sense of security – a perceived ‘green light’ to speed,” said Senator Damon. “Its unfortunate that the House is playing games with our kids’ safety.”
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