Car stickers for provisional drivers are now available
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON - Stickers that will identify a vehicle as one that is being operated by a person who holds a New Jersey provisional driver's license are now available in Jackson.

"The stickers have been received and they are available for distribution," said Jackson police Sgt. Brian J. Geoghegan. "If people come into police headquarters there is a short form they can fill out and they will be issued a sticker."

There is no charge to obtain a sticker.

The program is being supported by the Township Council in conjunction with the Jackson Police Department.

Jackson is believed to be the first municipality in the state to institute a program aimed at identifying the driver of a vehicle as a new driver.

A task force appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine is presently studying issues related to teenage drivers in New Jersey and is expected to make recommendations to the governor by March.

In Jackson, the parents of children who are licensed under New Jersey's provisional driver's program are being asked to voluntarily place a sticker on their vehicle that will identify the driver as the holder of a provisional license.

The sticker will serve as the parents' consent for police officers to stop their children when the young adults are driving in order to check for the possibility of violations of the terms of the provisional driver's license, according to Councilman Angelo Stallone.

"It is hoped 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. "We are not out to harass your children. We just want to make sure they are driving safely and abiding by the rules of the provisional driver laws. We hope this will encourage them to act appropriately and drive within the law."

The provisional driver's license restricts the time of day when the holder of the license may operate a vehicle and limits the number of passengers who may be in the vehicle when the provisional license holder is driving.

"The stickers are here and they are ready for distribution," Director of Public Safety Matthew Kunz said. "We're going to connect with the schools. We hope to better advertise the program to the parents of our school-age drivers. We are not trying to target young drivers for summonses. We are trying to be cognizant of them in traffic. We're trying to give them a little extra observation to say there's a car with a young driver, are they in compliance with the law?"