Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Rick Alloway
June 27, 2005	(202) 408-1711 x27

Action Needed to Restrict Teen Cell Phone Use in California and Protect Teen Lives

AB 963, a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia that would prohibit teen drivers with a provisional driver's license from using their cell phones while driving (unless they are calling 911), was defeated by just one vote last week in the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill will be reconsidered in committee, as early as July 5th (if there is a budget). Given that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, this bill would make driving safer for beginning teen drivers and all who share the road with them. Please call or write the following senators and urge their support for AB 963.

Senator Allen Lowenthal (916) 445-6447 or allen.lowenthal@sen.ca.gov
Senator Bob Margett (did not vote) (916) 445-2848 or bob.margett@sen.ca.gov
Senator Joe Simitian (916) 445-6747 or joe.simitian@sen.ca.gov

Talking Points

In 2003, nationally there were 6,002 teenagers between the ages of 16-20 killed and 482,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, 2004)

569 teenagers between the ages of 16-20 were killed in California motor vehicle crashes in 2003. (NHTSA, Fatal Analysis Reporting System, 2004)

Teen drivers are far more likely than older drivers to be involved in fatal crashes because they lack driving experience and tend to take greater risks. They are also more easily distracted.

Sixteen-year-old drivers have a crash rate three times more than 17-year-olds, 5 times greater than 18-year-olds, almost ten times greater than drivers age 30-59 and two times that of 85-year-olds (NHTSA, 2001 and Williams, A.F., 1996).

Although black and Hispanic male teenagers travel fewer vehicle miles than their white counterparts, they are nearly twice as likely to die in a motor vehicle crash (Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 1998)

A teen "Youthquake" is underway on California roadways. Teen drivers aged 15-19 will have increased by 33.5 percent (since 1997) by the year 2007 (California Office of Traffic Safety)

Cell phones are a major distraction and a factor in crashes. More young drivers are using cell phones, and 8 percent of drivers age 16 to 24 were using a hand-held phone during daylight hours in 2004, compared to 5 percent in 2002 and 3 percent in 2000 (NHTSA, February 2005)

Mixing teenage driving and cell phone use is a recipe for disaster. Given the limited time that teens have been driving and their relative inexperience behind the wheel, reducing their distractions by eliminating cell phone use in the car is an important step in improving overall safety for the driver and other motorists and passengers (Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 2005).

Colorado, Delaware, D.C., Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, and Tennessee have adopted teen cell phone restriction laws.

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For further information, contact Rick Alloway, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety,
202-408-1711 or ralloway@saferoads.org

© 2001 Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety
750 First St. NE, Suite 901, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: 202 / 408-1711 Fax: 202 / 408-1699