Trenton, NJ (GovWire) - The New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee met yesterday to discuss a new bill that would require new drivers to complete 50 hours of supervised practice driving, with 10 of those hours being at night, before obtaining their probationary license. The bill, S2789, was sponsored by Senators Cruz Perez and Johnson and received support from a group of high school students advocating for safe streets in New Jersey.
The students, members of the Nikhil Badlani Youth Advisory Board, spoke passionately about the need for the bill, citing statistics from the CDC that show that by mandating new drivers to have at least 50 hours of supervised driving, New Jersey could reduce fatal crashes for young drivers by 3%. One student, Chris Patel, a junior at West Orange High School, said, "Practice is a necessary and life-saving aspect of the driver education program. Adding the 50 hours is an indispensable addition to the current GDL program in New Jersey."
The bill also received support from the PTA, with spokesperson Debbie Villarreal-Hadley stating, "We strongly support this legislation. New Jersey is one of only three states in the entire nation without a required practice hours for drivers under the GDL program."
However, not everyone was in favor of the bill. Senator O'scanlon expressed concerns about the bill, stating, "I have some concern. We should take a look at the end and I know there's a report at the end of this and make sure that we're paying for what we get."
Despite these concerns, the bill was favorably released by the committee. The bill will now move forward for further consideration. If passed, New Jersey will join 47 other states in requiring new drivers to complete a minimum number of supervised practice hours before obtaining their license.
This article generated by GovWire AI.
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