BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 235
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
235 (Frazier)
As Introduced February 5, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Transportation |14-0 |Frazier, Achadjian, | |
| | |Baker, Campos, Chu, | |
| | |Daly, Dodd, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Gomez, Kim, | |
| | |Linder, Medina, | |
| | |Nazarian, O'Donnell | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Appropriations |16-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
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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:
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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,
b) Transporting passengers who are under 20 years of age,
except as specified is prohibited.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, "One-time special fund costs of around $175,000 for the
DMV for information technology-related changes ($150,000) and
revision to the Parent/Teen Handbook and the department's Web site
($25,000). [Motor Vehicle Account]"
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,
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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 American Automobile Association (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 to 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
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.
AB 235
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Please see the policy committee analysis for full discussion of
this bill.
Analysis Prepared by:
Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0000579