Flag high-risk drivers
Speed-related crash in Clarence should trigger system improvements
If ever a calamity cried out for legislative response, the deaths last week of four teenagers in a senseless car crash does. The accident in Clarence occurred because a teenage driver with a history of recklessness sped past a stop sign and collided with a minivan. His four passengers were killed while the two occupants of the van were seriously injured.
Viktor Shapiro, 18, had a valid driver's license despite a speeding conviction, two license suspensions and other pending tickets. Because the law couldn't figure out that he was a danger to himself and others, he kept driving recklessly until that Sunday night, when his irresponsibility arrived at its heartbreaking conclusion.
The simple fact is that not all teenagers are equally mature. Not all can be trusted with the privilege of handling a ton of glass and metal on public roadways. And when one of those teenagers flags himself as unsuited for a license through multiple and frequent violations of traffic laws, as Shapiro did, the state needs to be able to act.
In Shapiro's case, the state did act, twice suspending his license. But because only convictions are reported, the Deparment of Motor Vehicles was unaware that when it restored his junior license in August, he had been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in June … just three days after his second suspension. At the end of that month, he automatically qualified for an adult license.
Clearly, some changes are in order. While it seems as though no amount of trouble was going to keep Shapiro out of his 2002 Nissan Sentra, the law needs to be able to flag problem teens, even if cases are pending. Other reforms are also in order, including the ability to impose long-term suspensions on new drivers who show themselves to be high risk. While that might not have dissuaded Shapiro, it could have an affect on other problem drivers who are more influenced by the courts.
Beyond that, New York also still needs to get serious with its law on texting while driving. The law passed earlier this year is unenforceable unless officers see another offense being committed as well. It's an insufficient response to a practice we already know to be lethal.
Four lives were ended by this crash, and two other lives were interrupted. Some 70 teens die on the roads every week, according to Jacqueline Gillan of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington, D.C. That ought to be more than enough to get the attention of legislators.
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