Some Ohio schools to focus on new teen driving rules

Young violators will risk
parking privileges in school lots in addition to state fines.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Some high school educators say they use notices, warnings and in-class discussions in an effort to raise awareness among students and parents of Ohio’s new limits on the number of passengers beginning drivers can carry.

The law, which took effect in April, restricts drivers younger than 17 from transporting more than one passenger at a time who is not a family member, unless the driver is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Among the schools educating students and parents about the law is Northwest High School, a suburban Cincinnati school still coping with the loss of two girls killed in a car driven by a 16-year-old driver carrying four passengers. That crash occurred on May 29, nearly two months after the restrictions became law.

Northwest has sent newsletters to students’ homes about the law, and will post notices in hallways, parking passes and at the parking lot exit, and will have homeroom teachers discuss the law during the first three days of school later this month.

“We’re going to bring the new law to light and make sure everyone is aware of it and understands it,” said Todd Bowling, the school’s principal.

Other schools say they will pressure students to comply.

Colerain High, another school near Cincinnati, sent home back-to-school materials with a warning that young drivers risk parking privileges and a referral to police if they’re caught breaking Ohio’s law.

“We are not a law enforcement agency and have no power to ticket somebody,” said Mark Motz, spokesman for St. Xavier High School. But with security officers, assistant principals and local police, “our students will have enough authority figures watching them ... to ensure they comply.”

Fines for violations

Violators ticketed by police can face fines of up $100 and more restrictions including loss of a driver’s license for a repeat offender.

Police say officers need “probable cause” to believe a driver is breaking the law before they can pull a vehicle over. Steve Barnett, spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, said deputies have written very few tickets under the new law.

“A 16-year-old kid may look like he’s 18. It’s difficult to tell a driver’s age,” he said.

“It would be a form of profiling if you were trying to base your enforcement on how someone looked,” added Green Township police Lt. Vincent Cerchio.

Advocates of the law want it enforced.

“I think that if you see a car loaded with kids going down the street and it’s obvious that the driver is young, [police] should pull them over and check out the situation,” said Kathy McRoberts, whose daughter died in a 2002 crash involving a 16-year-old driver.

Most states have adopted restrictions on new drivers in recent years. Ohio authorities cited Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studies showing one passenger doubles the risk of a fatal crash among teen drivers, two passengers triple the risk, and three or more passengers increase the risk six times.

The law will complicate school transportation issues for some families, and cut the fun for many teens.

Justin Hucke, 16, a Colerain junior who got his first car in April, said he can’t drive groups of friends to school or anywhere else, unless a parent rides with him.

“It kind of restricts your whole life,” he said. “It’s not as much fun when your parents have to take you.”

But he added: “Even though I don’t like it, I’m going to accept it because, overall, I think it’ll be good thing for the majority of teenagers.”