AAA: NJ skipping ‘necessary step’ to save lives on the roads

🚘 Advocates continue to push for a bill that mandates practice driving hours for teens

🚘 NJ is one of three states without this requirement

🚘 Under the bill, 10 of the 50 hours must occur at night

In nearly every state in the country, in order for a young driver to graduate from a permit to a license, they must spend a certain number of hours behind the wheel with a parent or supervisor.

New Jersey is not one of those states, and safety advocates say lives are being unnecessarily lost each year that the state keeps such rules off the books.

NJ's practice-hours bill

Under a bill advanced by the Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee on Monday, people under 21 with their permit would need to complete at least 50 hours of certified practice driving in order to obtain a license.

"This is a necessary next step," said Tracy Noble, speaking for AAA Clubs of New Jersey. "Not only does it save lives, it makes better drivers."

The practice driving would need to happen with a parent, guardian, or supervising driver in the vehicle. It would be up to the supervising driver to certify that the practice hours were completed.

Under the proposed law, 10 of the practice hours would need to occur during hours of darkness.

"Driving at these hours demands a heightened level of attention and skill," said Tatiana Garcia, a senior at West Orange High School and a member of the Nikhil Badlani Foundation Youth Advisory Board.

The foundation's board says the legislation would introduce a "baseline" for young motorists and can improve driver experience and decision-making skills.

Certified driving hours

The driving privileges of any permit holder who submits a fraudulent certification could be suspended by the Motor Vehicle Commission, the bill notes.

The bill also requires that sample practice driving logs be included in informational brochures that are distributed to parents and guardians of drivers under the age of 18.

Young wannabe drivers in New Jersey need to complete six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction by a licensed provider before receiving a permit. But after that, the practice requirements end.

Permit holders are encouraged to practice supervised driving for at least six months.

According to AAA, New Jersey is one of just three states with no behind-the-wheel requirements for young drivers with their permit.

"Those other two states are Arkansas and Mississippi, not typically states that we keep company with, as far as safety regulations," Noble said.

The legislation has now been approved by two committees in each the Assembly and the Senate.

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