STANDUP Act Update

As the Safe Teen And Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act gains momentum, it's receiving more focus in the media. However, the added attention to STANDUP has also brought added attention to some critics of the legislation. Their core arguments are misleading and promote misinformation about the purpose and provisions of the STANDUP Act.

Here are some of their claims, along with facts that set the record straight.

CLAIM: The provisions of the STANDUP Act have never been tried in any state.
FACT: Every provision in the STANDUP Act has been proven effective by state experience and numerous independent peer-reviewed studies conducted over the past two decades.

CLAIM: The STANDUP Act is only about raising the driving age.
FACT: The STANDUP Act sets minimum standards for all the components of a comprehensive GDL program, not just age. This ensures that every teen in every state is protected from the threat of death and injury in a motor vehicle crash. Teen drivers ages 16 to 19 have the highest crash risk of any age group and are overrepresented in fatal highway crashes. Establishing age 16 as the minimum age for obtaining a driver's permit is only one of the essential lifesaving elements of the STANDUP Act. Other minimum requirements for a state GDL law included in STANDUP are a learner's permit holding period of at least 6 months; restrictions on unsupervised nighttime driving; limits on teen passengers; and a prohibition on non-emergency use of cell phones and texting.

CLAIM: Raising the minimum ages for obtaining learner permits and driver licenses will just result in a shift in crashes from younger novice teens to older novice teens. Crash risk is a factor of inexperience, not age.
FACT: Delaying minimum ages for obtaining learner permits and driver licenses has been shown to significantly reduce crashes among novice teen drivers; no corresponding increase in fatal crashes among older novice teen drivers has been identified.

CLAIM: The STANDUP Act is unfair to rural areas where life and driving are very different.
FACT: Rural driving is different: it is much more dangerous and deadly than urban or suburban driving. Teens in rural areas are at greater risk; they should get the benefit of a strong GDL program.

CLAIM: The STANDUP Act is unfair to young people.
FACT: In 2008, more than 6,400 people - nearly 4,000 of them teens - were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving teen drivers. Another 350,000 teens were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in highway crashes. Strong, comprehensive GDL laws are proven methods for preventing crashes and helping teens become safer drivers. That's why the STANDUP Act is supported by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), NOYS (National Organizations for Youth Safety), parents, pediatricians, emergency doctors and nurses, law enforcement, consumer and highway safety organizations and leading business groups. Not addressing this public health crisis would be unfair to young people. It's time for Congress to act now and pass the STANDUP Act!