Tears rolled down Arkansas State Sen. Jimmy Jeffress’ face after a House of Representatives committee voted without dissent to put in place new restrictions for teen drivers.
“I appreciate it, and I think when you lay your head on your pillow tonight you can say you’ve actually done the right thing,” Jeffress told members of the House Transportation Committee.
The bill by Jeffress, D-Crossett, would ban motorists under 18 from driving between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. except for work, school or emergencies. It also restricts the number of passengers a young driver can have in his or her vehicle. The bill, which has passed the Senate, now goes on to the House.
A retired school teacher, Jeffress said he’s seen more than his share of teens killed in car wrecks.
“This bill will give parents an excuse to stand up for their children,” he said. “It will give them a reason to tell them ‘no’ sometimes. But more than anything else, it will ensure oftentimes that those children will walk in the front door one more time.”
Dr. Jonathan Bates, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, noted that a law passed in 2005 requiring drugs containing pseudoephedrine to be sold behind pharmacists’ counters had a dramatic effect.
“When that happened, the number of adults who were admitted to our burn center for meth-related burns fell by 80 percent,” he said. “A rather dramatic improvement and one that the stroke of a pen accomplished a huge amount. I submit that this is another such opportunity.”
More than 49,000 teen drivers were involved in traffic crashes in Arkansas between 2001-2006, according to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. During that same period, 122 teens aged 14-17 were killed in crashes.
Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison, voted for the measure but warned lawmakers against “legislating ourselves to death.”
“If the message is the goal, I could have a bill drafted today to require people to wear sweaters if it was less than 45 degrees. Who’s against that? It would prevent colds, no telling how many kids wouldn’t get a cold,” he said. “This is a slippery slope that we just continue to go down.”
Topics Personal Auto Arkansas
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