Teen Driving Task Force
Air Date:02/08/2011
By Jenifer Jones
South Dakota legislators want to study teen driving in the state. The House Transportation Committee voted eight to four to create a task force on teen driving safety. The bill brings together legislators and experts to study data, laws and current practices and provide recommendations to the legislature. Representative Nick Moser is a sponsor of the bill.
"The proportion of teen driving deaths and serious accidents significantly outweighs the percentage of teen drivers," Moser says. "It is by far and away the number one cause of death for South Dakotans age 14 to 19 and I feel it's something that we're not going to address unless we make a concerted effort to do so."
Moser says the task force only goes into effect if it receives federal or private funding. Opponents of House Bill 1221 say several agencies already have teen driving programs, and another study isn't needed.
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