Teen driver study panel issues recommendations
Monmouth County Freeholder Barbara J. McMorrow, co-chair of the New Jersey Teen Driver Study Commission, participated in a news conference recently that officially released the group's findings and recommendations to help reduce teen motor vehicle crashes and save lives.

"New Jersey's Teen Driver Study Commission can be proud of its groundbreaking efforts to define the issues related to young drivers and present 47 solid recommendations to improve conditions under which our teens will drive," McMorrow said. "Young drivers will be better prepared to take on the responsibility of driving when these recommendations are put into action. The goal is to make our roads safe for all people."

Of the 47 recommendations, the commission called for some of its recommendations to be enacted immediately.

"It is critical that 14 of the recommendations move forward right away," Mc- Morrow said. "We need to stem the tide of teen driver crashes. This can be done by improving the existing Graduated Driver Licensing program, making use of existing technology and requiring teens and their parents to be active in learning how to responsibly operate a motor vehicle."

According to a press release, the commission studied and evaluated the driving education and training programs for New Jersey's teenagers, assessed the problems of aggressive driving and driving under the influence of alcohol, evaluated defensive driving and accident prevention programs, and analyzed motor vehicle violations that contribute to teenage driving accidents.

A copy of the commission's report is available at http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts. One recommendation made by the commission calls for an identifying sticker to be placed on the vehicle of a new driver to alert others on the road that the operator of the vehicle does not have significant experience behind the wheel. Another recommendation calls for an increase in the time spent training new drivers.

"I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have participated in this process," said McMorrow, a retired public school teacher and principal with 30 years of firsthand experience working for and with teenagers in New Jersey.

While at Howell High School, McMorrow worked with students and staff members after motor vehicle accidents claimed the lives of teens.

"Those occasions provided the necessity to develop a sensitive and respectful protocol for the school personnel to follow in the wake of a motor vehicle tragedy," McMorrow explained. "When tragedy strikes a school, it affects the whole community."

McMorrow was also a founding member of Monmouth County's Traumatic Loss Coalition, a group that helps students handle the death of a fellow student or teacher.

"It's very close to my heart,"McMorrow said of the coalition program.

The New Jersey Teen Driver Study Commission was composed of 15 members, seven appointed by the governor, four members appointed by the Senate president, and four members appointed by the speaker of the Assembly.

The commission's recommendations now await action by the state Legislature and the governor.