First and foremost is Graduated Driver License System for under 18 year old drivers

New drivers have elevated crash rates. This is particularly true for drivers younger than 18. Young novice drivers are a significant risk on the road because they lack both the judgment that comes with maturity and the driving skills that come with experience. In the United States, 16 year olds have almost 10 times the crash risk of drivers ages 30 to 59 and almost three times the risk of older teenagers. Graduated Driver Licensing is a system designed to delay full licensure while allowing beginners to obtain their initial experience under lower risk conditions. An optimal system has three steps: (1) a minimum supervised learners period; (2) an intermediate (provisional) license (once the driving test is passed) which limits unsupervised driving in high-risk situation; (3) and a full privileged driver license available after completion of the first two stages.
The Minnesota Legislature passed the first step of this optimal system in 1998 with a six-month mandatory waiting period between the permit and the provisional license for more time to be devoted for supervised driving. During the permit stage, the young driver is required to spend 30 hours of which 10 hours must be night time driving with a parent or guardian to practice their driving skills before being able to take the driver's test to receive a provisional driver's license
Minnesotans For Safe Driving believes Graduated Driver Licensing is very important to save these young drivers from death and injury. Statistics show that the first 6 months with a provisional license is the most dangerous time. The two main high-risk situations for these drivers are the number of passengers in the car and night driving for pleasure. For this reason, passing Step 2 is critically needed. Because of these high risks factors, this legislation will include a limit of one passenger (except immediate family members and adults over age 20) in the vehicle for those first six months; the second six months the driver is not allowed to carry more than 3 passengers under the age of 20 who are not immediate members of their family The other restriction is no night time driving from 12am to 5 am except for work, church or school activities unless accompanied by an adult over 25 for the first 6 months of the Provisional license. A violation of these restrictions or a violation of the traffic laws will restrict the ability to obtain a full license until 12 months of violation free driving has been achieved.
 

ENHANCEMENT OF THE PENALTY FOR NON-ALCOHOL-RELATED CHARGEABLE CRASHES CAUSING DEATH

There is a noticeable "gap" in current legislation involving non-alcohol related driving crashes. At this time the penalty for unsafe driving behavior is either a careless or reckless driving charge, both misdemeanors. If that unsafe driving behavior results in a crash or even a death or serious injury, the offender is usually still charged with the same misdemeanor penalty. On rare occasions non-alcohol related crashes are charged Criminal Vehicular Homicide when there is exceedingly gross negligence.
Minnesotans For Safe Driving strongly believes in the need to have a gross misdemeanor charge for unsafe driving behavior that results in a death beyond simple negligence and less than felony gross negligence. This legislation would include a license revocation for one year. Minnesota drivers need to be more responsible for their bad driving behavior and hopefully that will start the change in attitudes of Minnesota drivers as to the seriousness of their driving conduct.

PRIMARY SEAT BELT LAW

Seat belts save lives, and millions of dollars in medical costs to individuals and the state. Thankfully many Minnesotans have become aware of the benefit of that extra protection a seat belt gives and, in turn, are buckling up. Unfortunately 20% of Minnesotans are not yet regular users of the belt. There is a concern that individuals should have the right to make the choice to be buckled up or not, believing that if they don't wear their belt it only hurts themselves. This is not true. After an unbelted crash occurs, family and friends of the people in the car are greatly affected by the increased injuries sustained or the unnecessary death that results from the crash. Injuries are usually more severe for unbelted occupants, which adds to the overall cost to the family, state and society. Seat belts do not save every life nor stop all injuries, but it does reduce the risk by 40% to 60%.
 

Red Light Camera Program

In April 2007 the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that a red light camera program in Minneapolis conflicted with state law and therefore was illegal. State law puts liability for traffic offenses on the driver, while the Minneapolis city ordinance fined the owner of a car caught running a red light. The bill being considered in the state legislature attempts to resolve the conflict between the state law and the city ordinance. According to Minneapolis police, during an eight- month period with red light running cameras at 12 intersections, the City of Minneapolis cited over 25,000 violators while reducing crashes at intersections by 31 percent. Police said it would have taken at least 50 police officers working the program to achieve the same results.

With the passage of this law, municipalities would be able to decide to use “red light running” cameras or not, it would be a local option. Owners of vehicles photographed running a red light would pay an administrative fine and it would not go on their driver’s record. The owner would have available a picture of the driver at the time of the ticket and could reject the ticket if it wasn’t them.

Special Plates Remembering Victims of Impaired Drivers

This proposed legislation would allow the DPS to issue special vehicle license plates “Remembering Victims of Impaired Drivers” which displays an image of a broken heart. There would be a charge for this plate and the owner’s vehicle can use them instead of the regular plates. This would be similar to the veteran’s plate.
 

CHANGE THE NEWLY PASSED JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY LAW TO EXEMPT DRAM SHOP FROM THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE NEEDED

A few years ago the Legislature passed a change to the complicated law setting liability in civil actions. This is a very controversial law because both sides have good reason to support their side. Minnesotans For Safe Driving believe that Dram Shop is different from the usual Joint and Several cases which involve someone suing a number of companies no matter how far removed they were from the actual incident. If the award was high, many times the company with the deepest pockets (highest insurance benefits) ended up paying the award. We believe Dram Shop is different; because the liquor establishment directly participated in the end result. To be found legally at fault at all, the liquor establishment must have made an illegal sale (a sale to a minor or an obviously intoxicated person) and that person caused a crash or committed a criminal act that resulted in death or injury. An alcohol test over .08 or even over .20 doesn't prove obvious intoxication. The new law says that the business or person being sued must be found by a jury to be 51% or more responsible for the death or injury or they are only required to pay the percentage of damage awarded against them. At first reading this seems fair, BUT what happens if you are the victim - injured and unable to work or even killed, and the drunk driver carries minimum or no auto insurance. Why should you or your family have to suffer the results of the crash plus the financial problems, when you had no fault in the crash, and the liquor establishment violated the law? This proposed law would add alcoholic service to the list of liability that is not covered by Joint and Several.
 

CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY
 

Too many children, when they out grow their baby car seat, move directly into the back seat of the car using the adult seatbelt. Unfortunately these seatbelts do not fit properly and can be dangerous; since many times these children just put the cross over belt behind them. This law will require every driver to have all children under the age of 9 and less than 80 pounds in some type of child passenger restraint system; a baby car seat or booster seat. Children under 1 year and weighing less than 20 pounds must be properly restrained in a rear-facing child restraint system. A child 9 years old and over 80 pounds must be in the back seat and restrained with factory – installed seat belts

Against any Expungement of Driver License Records

Driver License laws are already based on time limits. An insurance company can only go back a maximum of 5 years to punish for bad behavior and enhancing penalties for drunk driving has a time limit. The offender now has the ability to clean up his/her act and not have this follow them the rest of their life. This bill would allow easier expungement of all criminal convictions and charges.
 

For more information on these issues or to get involved call 952-238-0970