Ultimate responsibility rests with new drivers
It has happened again, and again. Inexperienced drivers - teenagers who have just received a magic license that grants them their freedom and independence - ignoring the rules and regulations they have very recently pledged to obey.

Chief among those regulations is a provision of New Jersey's graduated driver's license program that prohibits a new driver from taking more than one person who is unrelated to him in his car.

The past year has brought a tragic roster of motor vehicle accidents in Monmouth and Ocean counties, which have resulted in death and heartbreak. And still, inexperienced drivers continue to flout the regulation, which is designed to reduce the possibility of distraction within their vehicle.

There were two more accidents of this type last week; one accident that resulted in the death of a high school student and one, thankfully, in which no one was killed. The facts indicated that the driver of each vehicle was a provisional driver who had more unrelated passengers than is permitted.

Teenagers who spoke at a public hearing held by the Governor's Teen Driver Study Commission on Nov. 19 at Colts Neck High School acknowledged that their peers violate the provisional license regulations with little chance of being caught.

Little chance, that is, until those drivers' inexperience behind the wheel leads to an accident and police officers, emergency medical responders, parents and friends have to deal with the aftermath.

A group of students from Freehold Township High School has formed Project Lundy, a program that is designed to teach high school sophomores who have yet to receive a driver's license about the importance of driving safely and responsibly.

The group was formed in honor of Andrew Lundy, a Freehold High School student who was a passenger in a fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred on Kozloski Road, Freehold Township, in January.

Project Lundy's outcome in addressing this critical issue bears watching.

We can suggest all types of punishments for parents and their children, but in the end some of those punishments may be too late.

Local roads have become more crowded and more dangerous over the years. Unchecked traffic has clogged primary and secondary arteries and made the simplest trip a chore. Drivers are in a rush to get to their destination after sitting in traffic for what seems like forever just to go two miles on Route 9.

Some people might well make the case that placing a limit on the number of people a new driver may transport has placed even more cars, and more inexperienced drivers, on the road.

But those are the regulations in place, and if young people want the privilege of driving, they've got to follow the rules.

One piece of advice we can offer is this: Every parent, teacher and school administrator should offer daily reminders to the new drivers with whom they come in contact that the regulations are in place and that there will be serious consequences if they are ignored.

The courts must enforce the law when presented with a case of someone who has violated it. Plea deals for a better outcome are no victory for the person who "gets away with it."

And new drivers, teenagers, well, they are just trying to help their friends with a ride. We understand that. We've been there, too. But the time for blowing off the regulations has come and gone. The accidents and the body count are there for all to see. You need to make the smart decisions.