Advocates has urged the leadership of the Kentucky Senate Committee on Transportation to oppose House Bill (HB) 15. This measure will reduce the minimum driving age by one year to 15 years old and reduce the minimum age for an intermediate license by six months to 16 years old. If enacted, it will weaken the state’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) law, increase the number of inexperienced young drivers, and threaten the safety of novice young drivers and all who share the roads with them.
Teenagers drive less than all but the oldest drivers, yet their number of crashes and crash deaths are disproportionately high. Per mile driven, teen drivers have crash rates nearly four times higher than drivers aged 20 and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teens are more likely to misjudge dangerous situations or to not be able to recognize hazardous situations. Teens tend to speed, follow too closely, and underestimate speed and stopping distances. Moreover, compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use.
With well over 800 annual traffic fatalities in Kentucky, we urge lawmakers to reject HB 15. Read the full letter here.