END

As of May 1, 2010 Kyleighs Law has been on just about every drivers mind. It has caused ticket increases, repeal processes, law suits, and thousands of pissed off teenagers and parents to express their opinions about this new law. Unfortunately, as of today the law still is intact, only one incident of being followed due to the decals have been reported so far. Many Anti-Kyleighs Law supporters believe once there are more incidents, the government will open their eyes and put an end to this. The original provisional driver restrictions worked fine the way they used to be. This controversy is still somewhat in the media spotlight today. Until us drivers find a new solution or win in a supreme court lawsuit, we must remain profiled, ticketed, and in danger.

The Lawsuit

Despite the uproar of anger and concern due to Kyleighs Law by teens and parents, the government and media still remain to hold their ground about this new law. They refuse to let up and finally listen to what everyone is saying, this law is dangerous and must be terminated immediately. The lawsuit was brought into the Superior Court

and was dismissed right away. Attorney Gregg Trautmann, who filed the lawsuit, argued in court that "the law is unconstitutional because the decals are a “Scarlet Letter” of age discrimination against teen drivers, who would improperly become targets, not only of law enforcement but also perhaps of sexual predators or stalkers." "I'm opposed to this whole 'nanny state' we're becoming," said Trautmann also arguing that the decals might promote illegal searches by police officers. In addition, Judge Robert Brennan rebutted, "Operating a motor vehicle is not a right, it’s a privilege subject to state regulations. Kyleigh’s Law does not violate the constitutions of the United States or New Jersey." As of now the law remains, but this will not be the end of it......

A Teens Point of View

"I have never had a negative experience with the decals because, I don't have the decals on my car. I don't plan to because I don't want to be attacked in any way" says Alexandra Wilson at a "Repeal the Decal" conference. Teens all over New Jersey, even the country, have been rejecting this law since day one. Driven by their anger and hate, thousands have jumped on-board in the process of repealing this law. Even if teens are not driving, the decals still promote danger. For example, if your car is sitting in your neighborhood with the stickers on, it is a red flag sticking out saying, "HEY! I'M A TEEN, I LIVE HERE".

People are asking for danger by displaying the decals on their vehicles. At seventeen years old, you're old enough to drive, so why can't all drivers be treated the same on the road? “I don’t think a sticker on a teen’s car will change how someone drives.” said by Tim Dillon, the operator of ‘New Jersey Teens Against Teen Driving Restrictions and Kyleigh’s Law’ Facebook page. That's because it won't, this law is a governmental trick that profiles young drivers so that police can catch them doing bad things, assuming that every teen is doing something they shouldn't be. The right to privacy is being violated in this situation. This law is ridiculous and needs to be repealed asap!

Click HERE to learn more.

Or HERE

The Repeal

State Senator, Tom Goodwin has been gathering support lately for the repeal of the decal law. Goodwin makes valid points in his arguments, frequently catching the ear of many other politicians and families with young drivers, such as Congressman Chris Smith. "It's our job to make sure nothing happens to our young people," he said. "Each day that goes by, we're putting them at risk. Let's end this decal now." The Senator launched an online petition around May 10, 2010 that was immediately signed more than 2,400 times. More than 500 people, mostly parents, have left comments on the petition page supporting the repeal. Thousands of teenagers have jumped on-board with Goodwin and have even gone to the extent of creating facebook groups and pages with more then 100,000 people in favor of the repeal. One group, entitled I Support Senator Tom Goodwin in Repealing Kyleighs Law, has more than 10,000 members. Senator Goodwin continues to make progress with his repeal.

"There is someone, walking behind you"

The first thing most parents said as soon as they heard about this law, "there is no way I am going to let my son/daughter put those stickers on their car". Both teens and parents became extremely concerned about safety. Thoughts of being followed home by rapists and pedophiles were defiantly a concern. Most parents have said they would rather pay the $100 dollar fine over and over again then to lose their child. Many are in favor that this law is discriminatory because it profiles new, young drivers on the road. Because of the decals, sexual predators can easily target teenagers more frequently. Police officers now have advantages of profiling as well. Now the police will always have a reason to pull you over. "NewJersey.com reports on Sara Murphy, 17, who was pulled over by a police officer who said he saw a light emanating from her car. When Murphy said she wasn’t using a cell phone, but her passenger was using an iPod, she got a $54 ticket for a hanging air freshener and guardian angel the officer called an obstruction. Her mother calls that targeting." Similarly in Florida at one point, the state marked all rental cars with "Y" or "Z", the policy was quickly pulled after there was a series of robberies, assaults and murders, could this be the future of Kyleighs Law? (National News Desk)


Read More

The Restrictions

Not only do people have to display the decals, now there are restrictions as well.
NJ Safe Roads reports, in the state of New Jersey "all permit or probationary license holders under the age of 21 must display a special decal on the front and rear license plate of the vehicle they are driving. They are available at all Motor Vehicle Agencies for $4 a pair. The decals are easily affixed to the plates using a system that also allows removal when the Graduated Driver License (GDL) holder is not behind the wheel".

Other restrictions prohibit being on the road between the hours of 11:01 pm and 5 am. The probationary drive may transport only one passenger in the vehicle(however this restriction is waived if the GDL holder is accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 21). New laws state you may not use a cell phone, ipod or any other wireless electronic device. As the driver, you must ensure that all vehicle occupants are buckled up. Also, you must display a decal on the front and rear license plate. Finally, you may not plea bargain any point carrying offenses.


Even though it is now a law, people still choose to disobey it. In addition, Edgar Snyder & Associates Law Firm stated that since this has gone into effect on May 1, 2010, there have been roughly 7,957 summonses and tickets issued to people who have violated the restrictions of this law. Clearly, this is something that needs to be reconsidered before the chaos continues.

The Story Behind The Sticker

Since December 21, 2006 when Donna Weeks daughter; Kyleigh D’Alessio, was killed in a terrible car crash, Donna was determined to change driving laws to ensure this kind of thing could be prevented so no mother would have to endure the pain and sorrow that she did of loosing her child. Along with Kyleigh, the teen drivers life was taken as well and two teenage passengers were also badly injured."Police say the silver 2000 Audi TT was westbound on Fairview Avenue shortly after 8:30 p.m. when the driver lost control and slammed into a large tree"(ABC: Eyewitness News). "In 2006, 5,156 teenagers ages 13 to 19 died in motor vehicle crashes"(Edgar Snyder & Associates Law Firm). That year, Kyleigh and her peers became apart of this statistic.

POLICE REPORT

Intro.

One of the most recent, controversial issues in the media spotlight is Kyleigh's law. Those little red stickers found in the corner of teen drivers license plates have become a big fight between the law and the people. The decals are meant to point out new, inexperienced drivers from the rest. Some follow, but many resist this ridiculous law, others question their safety when driving around with the decals on.