As a Porter County magistrate decides whether to waive a 17-year-old girl to adult court to face charges of drunken driving and killing her best friend, state lawmakers are preparing to review proposed changes for teen drivers.
The legislative committee, which is expected to include state lawmakers from Northwest Indiana, will begin work soon on proposals including raising the age for obtaining licenses, requiring 50 hours of on-the-road experience, prohibiting the use of handheld devices and imposing a 10 p.m. curfew, said state Rep. Joe Micon, D-West Lafayette.
If the proposals are enacted into law, Micon predicts it will reduce the rate of vehicular deaths among 16-year-olds by 40 percent in the first year.
"We put something in place I think is legislatively doable," he said.
While the proposals were derailed last year by all the focus on property tax reform, Micon said they are backed by the insurance industry and parents. A 2007 survey done by the AAA Hoosier Motor Club found more than 80 percent of parents supported increasing age requirements for teen drivers.
"If you're a parent, there is nothing more important than the safety and well being of your child," he said.
Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, who co-sponsored similar failed legislation last year, said part of the problem was opposition to the proposed age increases by parents who want a break from having to chauffeur their children around.
"It's difficult for parents to keep driving them," she said.
Tallian believes the reform should be focused on increasing on-the-road experience for young drivers and reducing distractions.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in this age group, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Research suggests the most strict and comprehensive graduated driver's license programs are associated with reductions of 38 percent and 40 percent in fatal and personal injury crashes, according to the CDC.
The proposals suggested for Indiana's graduated license system still would be less strict than in the neighboring states of Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, Micon said.
"So we're not taking the lead," he said.
Porter County Juvenile Court Magistrate Edward Nemeth listened to arguments this week for and against waiving a Westville girl to adult court to face charges stemming from the June 1 Pine Township crash that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Alisha Purnick, of Valparaiso.
The young driver is accused of drunken driving, but also was reportedly using a cell phone at the time of the 5:10 a.m. crash.
