BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 235
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Date of Hearing: March 23, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 235
(Frazier) - As Introduced February 5, 2015
SUBJECT: Driver's licenses: provisional licenses
SUMMARY: Requires drivers under the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) Provisional Licensing Program to be subject to
program driving restrictions until age 18.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires a person to be at least age 15 and a half to apply
for an instructional driver's permit and to hold the permit
for a minimum of six months prior to applying for a
provisional driver's license (PDL).
2)Allows DMV to issue a driver's license to an applicant who is
at least 16 years of age but under 18 years of age pursuant to
DMV's Provisional Licensing Program.
3)Requires a provisional licensee to be subject to the following
restrictions during the first 12 months after issuance of a
PDL:
a) Driving during the hours of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. is
prohibited; and,
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b) Transporting passengers who are under 20 years of age,
except as specified is prohibited.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: The Provisional Licensing Program is widely perceived
to be a major success in reducing the number of accidents,
injuries, and deaths among teenage drivers. Key to this success
is that provisional licensing programs are designed to protect
young novice drivers by restricting exposure to risk initially
and then gradually phasing in increased privileges as the driver
gains experience. Provisional licensing programs implemented in
states across the country are designed in this manner due to the
fact that, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes,
"teenage drivers have the highest crash risk per mile traveled,
compared with drivers in other age groups because young drivers
tend to overestimate their driving abilities and underestimate
the dangers on the road."
Studies published in the American Medical Association (2011) and
by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (2012) have concluded
that overall, provisional licensing programs across the country
have had "a major impact in reducing young driver crashes and
associated injuries to themselves and others." According to the
AAA study, in 1995 prior to the widespread introduction of
provisional licensing programs, 2,667 drivers ages 16-17
involved in fatal crashes across the country. By 2010, the
accident rate dropped 57% with 1,150 fatal crashes for the same
age group.
Furthermore, considerable research has produced strong evidence
that support states' efforts to strengthen provisional licensing
programs for young drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety
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Administration (NHTSA) reports that young drivers are
particularly vulnerable to "certain high-risk driving
situations," such as driving at night and driving with teenage
passengers. In its "2008 Report to Congress," NHTSA found
"young drivers are frequently inexperienced in hazard
recognition and often take unnecessary risks due to a
combination of poor decisions making and an illusion of
invulnerability." Additionally, another AAA Foundation report
(2013) affirms that states with the most comprehensive
provisional licensing systems have achieved the greatest
reductions in crash rates of drivers ages 16 and 17.
This bill aims to reduce teenage accident rates by extending the
period PDL drivers are subject to provisional licensing
requirements - currently 12 months - to age 18 regardless of the
age a PDL driver originally obtains their driver's license.
Previous legislation: AB 1801 (Frazier) of 2014, identical to
this bill, AB 1801 would have required provisional license
drivers to be subject to program driving restrictions until age
18. AB 1801 was held on the suspense file in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
AB 1113 (Frazier) of 2013, would have made changes to DMV's
Provisional Licensing Program by requiring a person to hold an
instructional driver's permit for a minimum of nine months prior
to applying for a PDL, requiring all PDL restrictions to remain
in effect for provisional licensees until they reach age 18,
prohibiting a provisional licensee from transporting passengers
under age 21, and extending nighttime driving restrictions 10
p.m. to 5 a.m. AB 1113 was vetoed by Governor Brown.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
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Support
Allstate Insurance Company (Sponsor)
Automobile Club of Southern California
California State Sheriffs' Association
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
AB 235
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