Jackson seeks to identify teen drivers Officials will ask parents to place sticker on vehicles BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer Jackson officials are asking parents with children who are licensed under New Jersey's provisional driver's license program to voluntarily identify their vehicles with a sticker. "After recent tragedies in our township where three teenage women and a brother and sister were killed (in motor vehicle accidents), there has been much discussion between township officials and police department officials regarding proactive measures that may be taken to deter or prevent such tragedies," Councilman Angelo Stallone said. Stallone said the idea came to mind to have a program in which the parents of teenagers who have a provisional driver's license would affix a sticker to the back of their vehicles. "That sticker would give the consent of the parents to the police department to stop their minor children in order to check for the possibility of violations of the terms of the provisional driver's license," the councilman said. "More important, however, is the hope that this sticker will deter a younger driver from violating the terms of the provisional driver's license because he or she will be scrutinized more carefully." Stallone said it is hoped that the presence of a sticker program would help to save a life. After several discussions and reviews by Jackson Public Safety Director Matthew Kunz, Township Council members and the legal department, the township will be offering the stickers free of charge to residents by the end of October. Stallone said police and municipal officials will continue to discuss and engage in other proactive measures in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents. In an attempt to clear up any misconceptions about what is and is not permitted in the provisional driver's license program, Jackson Police Officer Patrick Mackin of the traffic and safety bureau said there are three types of licenses for drivers. The first type of license is a special learner's permit or student permit that is available to individuals at the age of 16. "That's with a driver training class if you are using a driving school that gives you behind-thewheel training," Mackin said. "At age 16 you have to pass a vision test and a written test. You have to complete behind the-wheel training in an approved program and then there are six months of supervised driving with a parent or guardian." He said an individual who possesses a student permit must have a person who has three years of driving experience with him in order to operate a vehicle. "But only one person outside of the family is allowed inside the car," the officer said. Bill Scherer, director of the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission office in Freehold Township, said the special learner's permit or student permit is a supervised program that starts at age 16. "They have to have the class or they can't get the permit," Scherer said. "Any time before they turn 17 years of age, they can't do it without going to a driving school. They can't wait until they're 16- and-a-half and get the permit themselves." Mackin said parents should take their young driver out and let him practice driving in snow and rain because those are precisely the conditions that seem to cause problems for new drivers. He said sometimes parents do not want to have their teenagers driving in those conditions, but the officer reiterated that is the type of practice that new drivers need the most. With a special learner's permit in hand a teenage driver may operate a motor vehicle between 5 a.m. and 11:01 p.m. if he is accompanied by and under the supervision of a front-seat passenger who is over 21 and has been driving for at least three years. The second type of license, a provisional driver's license, gives eligibility at age 17 and the driver must complete one year of unsupervised driving after having had the student permit. "They can get a student permit at age 16 1/2 and practice for six months and then become eligible for the provisional driver's license," Scherer said. "It's a year, if they get the student permit on their 16th birthday, which most of them do, but the requirement (for the provisional license) is only six months." Scherer said a teenager must take and pass a road test before he can get his provisional driver's license. Scherer reiterated, "At 16 they go for their permit. They practice for six months or a year with a permit. They drive around with their parent and have six hours of training with the driving school. Once they have the six months (of practice) in and turn 17 they go and take the road test. If they pass the road test they get a provisional driver's license." Mackin said the provisional driver's license allows the driver to operate a motor vehicle only with one additional passenger, besides members of his household. Drivers with a provisional license may operate a motor vehicle between 5 a.m. and 12:01 a.m. The provisional driver's license goes for a year, but is not automatically upgraded to a regular license, Mackin said, adding that the driver has to apply to the state to have the restrictions removed. "So if they're driving with the provisional license two years down the road because they were too lazy to go to the motor vehicles office, they are still under the provisional driver's license," the officer said. "I don't think a lot of kids realize that because we stop a lot of kids [and that's what we find]." Mackin said it is the responsibility of the driver to have his provisional driver's license upgraded when he is eligible to do so. Everybody in the vehicle - front- and rear-seat passengers regardless of their age - must wear a seat belt when the vehicle is being operated by a person who holds a special learner's permit or provisional driver's license. At age 18 an individual can obtain a basic driver's license, Mackin said.