Press release from state Reps. Bill Hamzy and Ron Burns:
A fatal accident on Route 6 in Bristol last August that took the lives of four young people and injured three others, two seriously, might have been prevented if a measure that that passed the state House of Representatives today had been in effect in 2007, state Representatives William A. Hamzy and Ron Burns said today.
The legislation (House Bill 5748) would increase the amount of behind the wheel, on the road training 16- and 17-year olds must complete before qualifying for a drivers license; set tougher mandatory drivers license suspensions for 16- and 17-year old drivers who violate certain traffic laws; and extend the passenger restrictions that currently apply to 16- and 17-year-olds after they are licensed from the first six months after being licensed to a full year, said representatives Hamzy, R-78th District, and Burns, R-77th District, who the bill.
“Almost every day, I drive by the scene of a horrific fatal accident on Route 6 in Bristol that occurred last year,” said Representative Hamzy, who lives in Terryville and works in Bristol. “It is a tragic reminder of what can happen when teenagers drive at excessive speeds or take unnecessary risks behind the wheel. The likelihood of a serious or fatal accident increases significantly when one or more young people are riding in a vehicle operated by an inexperienced teen driver. The purpose of this legislation is to significantly reduce the number and seriousness of these kinds of accidents in the years ahead.”
“As a parent, I understand the concern parents feel when their sons and daughters take the wheel in the months after they get their drivers’ licenses,” Representative Burns said. “While I believe this bill still needs work, the good that it will do far outweighs some of the concerns I have about it. I’m confident the state legislature will iron out whatever shortcomings in the law become apparent in the years ahead. Meanwhile, parents should feel more confident that our action today will help ensure the future safety of all Connecticut motorists – not just teenagers.”
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
20 comments:
So sad that the state has to step in and pick up the ball dropped by some parents. If more of us acted like parents instead of trying to be friends to our kids, these common sense measures would start at home.
I can't find the voting record on line. Who were the 33 that voted against it? I'd like to know what their reasoning is.
April 10, 2008 9:45 AM
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wow !!! 33 representatives no only realized this was just a feel good measure , but , stood up and voted against it .
Maybe there is a bit of hope for Connecticut after all .
10:47, You're against this "feel good measure"? Pray, do share with us YOUR wisdom. Exactly what measures should we take to stop teenager drivers from killing themselves and others? I know I am not alone in awaiting your pearls of wisdom....
April 10, 2008 12:06 PM
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Would it be soooo wrong to have our representatives spend their time actually doing some good for the states' citizens ???
Teens always have and always will find a way to shorten their lives and the lives of those around them .
It would have been much more effective to pass a law that prohibited those makeshift memorials that crop up turning idiots into heroes .
They just give the next idiot the impression they will become immortal if they crash and burn too .
And then some morons actually hold great elaborate parties for these idiots . It's becoming crystal clear that the teens aren't the only issue .
....4:01, Ahhh....So these are your pearls of wisdom??? Hardly worth waiting for....
If the bill that our state reps have passed saves even one kid's parents from going through this nightmare, they have spent their time "actually doing something good" for our citizens.
As for your diatribe about the memorials that "turn idiots into heroes"....sometimes there are innocent victims who die in those accidents too....
Once again, your wisdom and compassion, or lack thereof, underwhelms us all....
April 11, 2008 8:38 AM
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Banning helmets @ the new skateboard park would benefit more than this feel good waste of taxpayers money ever could hope to accomplish .
The thinning of the herd is the natural evolution of mankind . Get used to it . It ain't gonna change .
Hey ..... if you are having a difficult time accepting the teen car crash deaths , maybe you should try thinking of them as self-inflicted post-natal abortions .
2:27/3:08: Get help. You are one sick puppy.
By a quick show of hands...
How many of us were given cars or unlimited use of cars when we turned 16 or 17?
How many of us had parents that required that we let them know where we were or were going?
How many of us if we were caught speeding or drinking would have been grounded and lost our driving rights for a while?
How many of us were more afraid of what are parents would do if we screwed up than anything else?
This teen driving bill has a lot of merits but nothing replaces PARENTS --- period.
To the poster April 11, 2008 8:38 AM and the "thinning the herd" comment -- how do you sleep at night? -- if you have kids they must be so proud of you....
April 12, 2008 11:33 AM
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Back when you were a kid , parents were allowed to control their kids .
You are in the bluest of states now , and parent have no rights anymore .
The facists in hartford are now considering a law to prohibit smoking in your own car .
If the authorities were to view the old 8 mm movies when my kids were growing up , I have little doubt my future would not include freedom .
April 12, 2008 3:39 PM
Parents are still allowed to control their kids. They just have to do it. I know plenty of parents who do just that.
April 13, 2008 7:44 AM
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Come on .... the coaches @ the Bristol high schools acquire gifted teen athletes from neighboring communities and set them up in their own apartments against the parents' wishes .
How are they expected to control them ???
Hey .... let's have them pass a law against teenagers who don't act like adults .
Wait !!!! judging by some of the 'adults' posting here , maybe it shouldn't be limited to teenagers .
And according to the Sunday Hartford Courant, Bristol is one of a handful of Connecticut towns with a ZERO percent arrest rate for under-aged drinking. Why doesn't that surprise me?
How are they expected to control them ???
April 13, 2008 2:30 PM
By being parents! It's called taking responsibility for your kids and making your kids take responsibility for themselves.
By being parents! It's called taking responsibility for your kids and making your kids take responsibility for themselves.
April 13, 2008 6:06 PM
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And then the parents end up in jail .
I see that some folks haven't been paying attention to the laws being passed in this facist blue state .
My parents controlled me.
My father said: "if you aren't in bed by eleven, come home".
....Gee 10:33, I've NEVER heard of parents being incarcerated for making their children responsible for their own actions....
As for the fascist blue state thing....Huh???
I do think that your paranoid schizophrenia is getting the best of you. You'd better start worrying about those mental health nazis....
How can we find out who voted against this bill so I can congratulate them. This bill is baloney. It won't stop teen drivers from getting killed.
NC lowered the driving age, with restrictions, so teens could get more driving experience. Why the heck does CT think they can control 16 yr olds and deprive them of growing up. They are not respecting them. Focus should be on helping teens find jobs and constructivly using their time. Not this. CT has some of the worst Adult drivers I've seen. Maybe they contribute to teen accidents.
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