You're grounded: Suspension, big fines for teen driver violations
Just 2.6 percent of Massachusetts drivers have junior operator's licenses or learner's permits, but when state laws governing these drivers change on Saturday, nearly everyone will be affected.
The list includes teen drivers, their friends, their families, anyone who pays car insurance, and anyone who's ever been touched by stories of teens killed in high-speed crashes.
The changes are aimed at making teenage drivers take safety seriously by toughening the punishment for those who don't. Junior operators -- new drivers under age 18 -- who get a speeding ticket will have their licenses automatically suspended for 90 days. Almost all basic offenses will carry suspensions, as well as fines and fees of up to $1,000.
"One kid said to me in class, 'They're always blaming teenagers,' " said Fred Garber, owner of Arlex Auto Driving School in Arlington. "I tell them, statistically, they're most vulnerable. They take chances. They're still naive when it comes to driving.
"It doesn't hit them until they're impacted," Garber continued. "You've got to hit them in the breadbasket. "
The revised penalty system takes effect Saturday, while increased driving-instruction requirements will start in September. Following is a recap of the most eye-opening revisions. (For the entire list, see the Registry of Motor Vehicles website, mass.gov/rmv.)
In Massachusetts, you must be 16 years old to apply for a learner's permit, and 16 1/2 to get a junior operator's license.
Even before the new law, drivers were considered junior operators until their 18th birthday. Until that day, they had to abide by a handful of restrictions not imposed on other drivers; for instance, no driving alone late at night. They also couldn't give a classmate a ride, to school or anywhere else, until they had six months of driving experience.
The restrictions exist to protect inexperienced drivers who, due to immaturity and inexperience, often lack good judgment. But teens don't always abide. After several Massachusetts teens were killed in highly publicized crashes in late 2005 and early 2006, lawmakers decided to reevaluate the restrictions.
Their verdict: Penalties for offending youths were far too lenient.
Until now, junior operators have been subjected to the same penalty for a speeding ticket as any other driver: They merely have to pay the fine. A junior operator who accrued three speeding tickets within a year's time would be hit with a license suspension for 30 days.
As of Saturday, junior operators caught speeding will be in for a stark awakening: Their license to drive will be yanked for 90 days after the first infraction. To get it back, the teens will have to pay a $500 reinstatement fee, take an "attitudinal retraining course," and retake the Registry's driving test, all this in addition to paying the fine for the speeding ticket.
And yes, their parents will be notified.
Junior operators who get a second speeding ticket will lose their license for a full year. To get their license back, they'll have to take the same steps as already mentioned, as well as attend a four-hour State Police-run driver safety seminar.
Under the new law, penalties will also be more severe for drag racing, reckless driving, driving with an underage passenger, and breaking the night-time curfew (junior operators won't be able to drive without a parent or legal guardian in the car between 12:30 and 5 a.m.). In almost all cases, young drivers (including those with a learner's permit) will face a minimum 60-day suspension for a single driving offense.
When the law was changed so that teens couldn't drive with a youth other than a sibling for the first six months, said Lieutenant Dana Pagley, commander of the State Police traffic program section, "a lot of kids didn't adhere to that. It wasn't strong enough. To me, something like this is going to have a huge impact on them."
The number of hours a parent or guardian must drive alongside a teen preparing for the license exam jumps to 40 from 12 as of September.
Parents will also be required to sit with their children for two hours of class instruction, a first for the state. The new Junior Operator License Law also calls for a statewide driving curriculum, and requires driving instructors to hold a valid driver's license. 