Advocates has written to the Indiana Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee urging members to amend House Bill (HB) 1200 to retain the current age for obtaining a probationary driver’s license. A provision in HB 1200 would reduce the minimum age for a probationary driver’s license by three months to 16 years old for novice drivers who have taken a driver’s education course. In doing so, it will erode the graduated driver licensing (GDL) law and threaten the safety of novice teen drivers and all who share the roads with them.
In 2024, there were an overall estimated 8271 traffic fatalities in Indiana according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).2 The number of drivers ages 15-20 involved in fatal crashes went up 71 percent from 2014 to 2023.
Enacting HB 1200 as written will make roads more dangerous. With well over 800 annual traffic fatalities in Indiana, HB 1200 should be amended to retain the current age requirement for obtaining a probationary driver’s license to keep young drivers and all those who share the roads with them safe.
Read the full letter here.