Changes to Michigan's New Teen Driver Laws Taking Effect, AAA Michigan Encourages New Teen Drivers to Prepare

DEARBORN, Mich., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Important new changes to Michigan's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program are taking effect on March 30, 2011.  Under the new law -- which AAA Michigan strongly supported -- teenage drivers with a Level 2 license will have to comply with new driving restrictions.  These include limits on the number of passengers in a vehicle and shorter nighttime driving hours.

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Under the new legislation, new teen drivers will not be allowed to have more than one non-family member under age 21 in their vehicle, unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or another adult aged 21 or over who's been approved by a parent.  The law makes exceptions for teens driving to or from school or school-sanctioned events.

Provisions under the new law also prohibit new teen drivers from driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless they are driving to or from work.  The previous law allowed teens to drive until midnight.

"This new law will help strengthen the graduated licensing approach where teens gain more driving privileges as they get older and acquire more experience," said Jack Peet, AAA Michigan Traffic Safety Manager.  AAA Michigan has worked to support Michigan's GDL laws since they were first enacted in 1996.  Many studies have shown that limiting the number of teen passengers in a vehicle driven by a teen or novice driver helps make them safer.

AAA Michigan joins the Michigan State Police, Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) and other key traffic safety partners in a news conference taking place this morning at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing to promote awareness of the new law.   The news conference is part of the 16th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit, taking place March 22-24.

To help new teen drivers – and their parents – AAA recently launched a new web site, TeenDriving.AAA.com.  This comprehensive resource provides extensive state-specific information and useful tools to help teenagers improve their driving skills.  New drivers will find helpful interactive exercises, quizzes and games as well as videos of experts and teens talking about driving.  The site also includes a downloadable parent-teen driving agreement.

SOURCE AAA Michigan

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