Law says teens must restrain passengers in Ohio

This makes a lot of sense if you stop to think about it. This law is intended to reduce the number of teens killed and injured in car accidents. The impetus for this particular law was figures showing that 16-year-olds were considered guilty in about 85 percent of recorded deaths in 2006. The figures weren’t much better for 2007, either.

It wasn’t just those numbers that made state lawmakers sit up and take notice. It was also the fact that it seemed that when there was a passenger in the car (who was not related), with the teenager the risk of a crash practically doubled. National statistics speak for themselves on this matter, showing that 2 out of 5 teenagers die due to a fatal traffic accident.

Of the young adults who died, only about 60 percent were exceeding the posted speed limit of 40 mph or less, and about 75 percent of the crashes occurred within 25 miles of the teen’s home. Gives pause to think, right? Well, Ohio wanted to make sure something was done about it and put in place a law meant to address these statistics. It’s not often that a state takes this kind of precautionary measure to protect life, but the fact that they did shows that it was a serious concern of theirs.

The law requires drivers under the age of 17 to have only one non-family passenger, unless a parent is present in the vehicle at the same time. Other restrictions are that 17 and 18 year olds are not allowed to drive between 1am and 5am, which if you have a teenager who likes to stay up late, it certainly becomes an issue at home regarding curfews.

If a parent or guardian is with the teen, this is one of the exceptions to the rule, as is travel to or from school functions or a job (as long as the employer provides written verification).

Two categories of license holders that have always raised serious debates when it comes to high accident statistics are probationary license holders and temporary instruction permit holders. Probationary holders are typically 16 or younger and are not allowed to drive between midnight and 6 a.m. The exceptions here are if they have a parent with them or are going to or from school or work activities (similar to restrictions). for drivers under 17).

Temporary instruction permit holders under the age of 17 cannot drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they are with a parent with a valid license, which goes without saying. There are a variety of other age-based restrictions that have to do with making sure everyone buckles up, etc.

There is one provision of this law that appears to be making a significant difference in traffic accident statistics, and that is the moving violations section. This section states that if a young driver, under the age of 16, is convicted of a moving violation within the first 6 months of obtaining their driver’s license, they must travel with a parent in the car for six months. more after obtaining the driver’s license. sentence – or until they turn 17.

You have to know that this would totally scare the hell out of a young teenager who wanted to show off to their friends. However, that is the general idea of ​​this law: to show teenagers that everything they do has consequences, serious consequences.