Dear Motorists,
The Erie County Auto Bureau is asking drivers of all ages, especially young motorists to keep both hands on the wheel and to take part in our "JUST DRIVE" movement and remind you we are now entering the "100 Deadliest Days of Summer."
As the County Clerk's Office is responsible for the administration of local auto bureaus which issue all drivers’ licenses. We and the entire staff encourage all drivers to take the Safe Driving/No-Texting Pledge and then share it with their friends and family.
This pledge, which can be found at any of the Erie County Auto Bureaus or clicking the link above, is signed by the parent and their teen driver, and states that while driving the teen will not send or receive text messages or use handheld electronic devices. It ensures that the teen understands that if he/she violates any of the rules, including driving without a seatbelt, not following the speed limit or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it may result in the loss of driving privileges which you reserve the right to deny.
Just look at some of the facts:
- Motor Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.
- Teens have the highest crash rate of any age group.
- An average 260 teens are killed in car crashes each month during the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), an increase of 26% compared with the other months of the year, also known as the "100 Deadliest Days of Summer."
- 60% of teen crashes today are caused by distracted driving.
- Surprisingly, the top distraction for teens is other passengers, accounting for 15% of teen driver crashes, compared to 12 % caused by texting or talking on a cell phone.
- For every 100,000 Americans under the age of 21, 1.2 people were killed in drunk driving fatalities in 2015.
- “Not only are teens themselves more likely to die in car crashes, they also have the highest rates of crash involvement resulting in the deaths of others, including passengers, pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles.” – Newsday
In a recent study by the National Safety Council, more than 100,000 crashes a year involve drivers who are texting, causing life-changing injury and death; and according to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Research, texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident.
We also encourage all parents to sign and adhere to their own pledge and be a positive example to all your drivers.
A more disturbing fact, based on a survey conducted by AT&T Wireless, is that 77 percent of teens have seen their parent’s text and drive. We need to continually educate the public that texting and driving is not only dangerous and has costly consequences, but it is against the law.
For additional information on the Erie County Clerk’s “Safe Driving/No-Texting Pledge,” please contact our Outreach Center at 858-8864 or by e-mail at ErieCountyClerkOffice@erie.gov.
~MICHAEL P. KEARNS, Erie County Clerk
Teen Driver
The Graduated License Law and Restrictions for Drivers under 18
Teen Driver Rules
- Hold learner's permit for 6 months before scheduling a road test.
- Take 5 hour pre-licensing course before scheduling a road test.
- Record 50 hours of supervised driving practice, 15 of those after dark.
- No more than one non-family passenger under 21
- Prohibited from using ipods, game players and other electronic devices while driving.
- Upstate New York Junior Learner Permit Restrictions
- Preparing for Your Learner Permit and Road Test
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles-www.dmv.ny.gov
- National Highway Traffic Safety Admnistration-www.nhtsa.dot.gov
- National Safety Council-www.nsc.org
- New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee-www.safeny.ny.gov
- New York State Association of Traffic Safety Boards-www.nysatsb.org
- "Teens" Program Enrollment Form
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Driver's Handbook
New forms:
- Certification of Supervised Driving (Form mv262)