Advocating traffic
safety, supporting motorists’ rights
With the 2007 legislative
session, AAA remains committed to advocating
on behalf of motorists’ rights on a broad
spectrum of issues, including traffic safety,
teen driving and consumer choice.
AAA is currently leading
a broad coalition of dedicated interests to support
the enactment of a genuine graduated driver’s
license program in Arizona.
Car crashes are the
number one killer of children and teenagers in
Arizona and nationwide. In fact, more than 100
teens are killed each year on Arizona roads.
The crash rates for teenage drivers are as much
as four times higher than for adult drivers.
This issue affects
not just teenagers, but everyone on the road.
A first-of-its-kind study released last year
by AAA reported that three out of four fatalities
involving teen drivers are not the teen drivers
themselves. The numbers are startling: In Arizona
from 1995 to 2005, more than 700 people have
been killed in crashes involving teen drivers. The
sad fact is that many of these deaths were preventable.
Ours is one of only
five states without an intermediate program — also
known as a graduated driver’s license — for
new teen drivers. Research has shown that states
that have adopted this approach have seen reductions
in teen-related incidents by as much as 30 percent. And
late last year, AAA released the results of an
opinion poll that showed three out of four Arizona
residents want stronger teen driving laws.
The Teen Driver Safety
Act, sponsored this session by Senator Barbara
Leff of Paradise Valley and Senator Ron Gould
of Lake Havasu, is receiving bipartisan support
throughout the Arizona Legislature. The act provides
nighttime driving restrictions from midnight
to 5 a.m. and passenger limitations for the first
six months that a new teen driver holds a Class
G drivers license.
Fortunately, we’re
not alone in this effort. Joining AAA in support
of this issue are law enforcement, public-safety
advocates, emergency-medical representatives,
the insurance industry, child-safety advocates
and many organizations that share a common interest
in improving teen driving safety throughout Arizona.
In addition to teenage
driver safety, AAA sits on several committees
and coalitions devoted to addressing the issue
of traffic safety and motorist rights, including
but not limited to the Governor’s Traffic
Safety Advisory Council, Maricopa Association
of Government’s Transportation Safety Committee,
Arizona Highway Users and the Loop 101 Photo
Enforcement Technical Evaluation Committee.
We will continue to
remain actively engaged in the legislative process,
monitoring, supporting or opposing legislation
that may affect the safety, security and peace
of mind of our members.
HIGHROADS
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