District 9 Teen Safety Initiative: Dangerous Driving Letters to Go to Parents

New Laws in Effect

[April 01, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois State Police District 9 Capt. James Wolf announced a new District 9 traffic safety initiative aimed at keeping teen drivers and their passengers safe on the roadways. Wolf will notify the respective parents, in writing, of any serious traffic violations or dangerous driving behavior on the part of teenage drivers which are handled by District 9 Illinois state troopers. Wolf will send a letter to the parents of all involved teenagers. Many times, the parents of young drivers and passengers are unaware that their child has had contact with state police troopers. This letter is one way Wolf is attempting to keep parents informed and assure parents that District 9 is doing everything possible to keep roadways safe for all who travel on them.

Over the last month and a half, District 9 has noticed an increase in incidents involving young drivers traveling at speeds in excess of 90 mph with more than four teenage passengers in each vehicle. Last month in Logan County four teens died tragically in a single-vehicle crash. Wolf is requesting assistance from parents, teachers, administrators and the public. "Help us keep our young people safe," he said.

Several new laws to help protect teenage drivers went into effect Jan. 1. Wolf would like to remind each parent and teenager of a couple of these laws:

New 16-year-old drivers cannot have more than one passenger under the age of 20 with them in the vehicle, excluding siblings, for the first year after obtaining their driver's license.

Curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds is 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A driver's license is not valid if driving after curfew.

District 9 troopers will enforce a "zero-tolerance" approach to teenage drivers who fail to follow the new laws that were created for their protection and who choose not to wear their safety belts.

Teenagers also need to take an active role in promoting safe driving skills to their peers. Several schools throughout District 9 are involved in "Operation Teen Safe Driving," an initiative created by Ford Motor Company and Illinois Department of Transportation to reduce teen driving crashes and fatalities.

The simplest thing teen drivers can do to help save lives is to buckle their safety belts and drive responsibly.

[Text from file received from Illinois State Police District 9]