Provisional license restrictions

Moving into second gear is a plan designed to save lives.

Rep. Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) sponsors HF2628 that would restrict the time behind the wheel and number of passengers for a provisional driver’s license holder.

“As a mother of four teenagers, who has tried very hard to implement rules in my household, I would have very much appreciated this type of support to what I know was best and safest for my children, even though they thought they knew better,” she told the House Transportation and Transit Policy Subcommittee Feb. 27. The bill was referred to the House Transportation Finance Division for possible inclusion in its omnibus bill.

The bill would require that during the first six months of a provisional license, the young person would be permitted to have one person under age 20 in the car with them, not counting family members. That would increase to three in the ensuing six months.

During the first six months of provisional licensure, the bill would also prohibit driving between midnight and 5 a.m. except when the driver is going between the person’s home and job or school event where no transportation was provided, the driver is driving due to a job or the driver is accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 25.

“No other state in the country has a higher percentage of teenagers behind the wheel in deadly crashes,” said Gail Weinholzer, public affairs director for AAA Minnesota/Iowa. “States that have enacted stronger guidelines than Minnesota have seen teen injury and fatality reductions of up to 40 percent. We are one of four states that has a neither a passenger nor a nighttime guideline.”

A similar bill, SF1605, sponsored by former Sen. Tom Neuville received Senate approval last year. The bill was also in an omnibus transportation policy bill that was not voted on before session concluded.