Legislature(1997 - 1998)
03/06/1997 08:20 AM House STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 11 - DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORS The next order of business to come before the House State Affairs Standing Committee was HB 11, "An Act relating to driver's licensing; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR JAMES called on Mr. Jeffrey A. Logan, staff to Representative Joe Green, sponsor of HB 11. Number 2097 JEFFREY A. LOGAN, Legislative Assistant to Representative Joe Green, explained the language in HB 11 had been introduced in two previous legislatures. "But the fact that it hasn't yet become law doesn't mean it's a dog." It was introduced by Representative Green in the Eighteenth Alaska State Legislature. It was introduced again in the Nineteenth Alaska State Legislature, and made it to the Senate Rules Committee. MR. LOGAN further explained that Representative Green and Juanita Hensley, Department of Public Safety, worked on the language to increase the support. The bill said to young drivers that driving a motor vehicle was a privilege and it should be treated as such. It required that a person with a permit must drive with a person who was at least 22 years old instead of 19 years old. The ages were lowered to garner more support. In addition, the bill required that a permit be obtained before a drivers license. There were also restrictions on when a person could drive during the day. He referred the committee members to page 2, line 22 and read, "1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m." The bill also said that a person could not get as many points. The bill was supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Alaska Trucking Association, Inc., individuals who worked with injured or killed young drivers, the U.S. Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Alaskan Congressional Delegation. The letters of support from the Alaskan Congressional Delegation were dated last year. They indicated that they would forward a letter of support for this year as well. There was also back-up material on statistics supporting the institution of this type of program. Number 2445 JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Public Safety, explained that the department had supported this bill for the last several years. The states that had implemented a graduated or provisional driver licensing program showed drastic reductions in the number of injuries and fatalities. TAPE 97-23, SIDE A Number 0001 MS. HENSLEY further stated that Alaska was awarded a grant, of which, no money had been expended pending the enactment of the bill. It was a grant to implement this type of a program and to track it for a period of three years to see if it was working. Last year, the bill passed with a vote of 37 to 0 with 3 excused members. It made it to the Senate Rules Committee but was not calendared in the last hours of session. Number 0085 JOSH CULBERTSON was the first person to testify via teleconference in Mat-Su. He agreed with Representative Joe Green. "I think it's a good idea." He was concerned about the mandatory drivers education class and the availability of the classes in the bush, for example. But, if the class was put on the internet there would not be a problem. He was currently a student at Wasilla High School and had taken a drivers education course. "I just think it would be a lot better and a lot safer for people that are out on the roads." Number 0166 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN IVAN asked Ms. Hensley if the bill would require a mandatory drivers education class before a license was issued to minors? Number 0185 MS. HENSLEY replied, "No." The bill did not mandate a drivers education class because of the diversity of Alaska; it would be an astronomical fiscal cost to the state. The bill required an individual to obtain an instruction permit and to hold that permit for six months before obtaining a provisional license. The provisional license restricted the time allowed to drive. An individual would be required to hold that license for one year before obtaining a full unrestricted drivers license. The bill allowed for the training that young drivers needed because, unfortunately, Alaskan young drivers tended to learn by trial and error, as opposed to learning over a period of time under restrictions and under parental purview. Number 0311 MARTHA MOORE, Research Analyst, Community Health and Emergency, Medical Services, Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services, explained the department supported HB 11 on the basis that it believed it would help reduce crashes among young teenage drivers. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for 16 to 17 year olds in Alaska and were responsible for one-fifth of the injury deaths. From 1991 to 1995, 16 and 17 year old drivers accounted for just under 2 percent of the licensed drivers in Alaska. Yet, they were the drivers involved in almost 4.5 percent of the crashes. The rate of crashes for young drivers was over two times that of adults. The most common factors that put young drivers at risk were: immaturity, inexperience, teenage passengers, unsafe speed, alcohol use, dangerous road conditions, non-use of safety belts, and night driving. The policies that were most effective in reducing crash rates for young drivers were ones that involved a delayed licensure, such as, a higher minimum age for full licensing, an extended period of supervised driving and a night driving curfew. She further stated that in Oregon the state estimated an $11 million savings which far justified the $150,000 cost of implementing the program. Number 0451 REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS moved that HB 11 move from the committee with the attached fiscal note(s) and individual recommendations. There was no objection, HB 11 was so moved from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.
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