Kyleigh's Law

[jukeboxed]

Alright, so in good old New Jersey, this new law called "Kyleigh's Law" is going into effect on May 1st. Kyleigh was a 16 year old girl who trusted a boy to drive her 8 minutes away, and the boy was driving 70 on a 35 road. Kyleigh told him to stop - he wouldn't listen. They hit a tree and both of them die. 4 years later, our governor passes "Kyleigh's Law." This was a tragic accident, and I offer my condolences to Kyleigh's family. But, I'm sure that Kyleigh would not approve of her own law. Why? Because this law is stupid. Here are the new restrictions(these rules apply to all drivers aged 16-21):

- Cannot drive between 11:01 and 5 am(Curfew was originally 12). Not too bad.
- Cannot use electronic devices. Okay, that's not too bad either.
- Seatbelt must be worn at all times. DUH.
- Drivers must be carrying only one other passenger in the car. However, if a parent/guardian is present in the vehicle, then the number of passengers is unlimited.
- A red reflective decal must be placed on the front and back license plates of the car. WHAT?!

What angers most people protesting this law(and that's a LOT) is the $4 red decal. First off, the police like to pull teens over when they make the tiniest mistake just because of our age. Now, they can easily identify us and give us tickets for no reason - more money for the state! Oh, so now you're going to make us and our parents pay more money in the middle of a RECESSION, just so the state can make even more profit? BS! If anything, this is an example of age discrimination. More importantly, this red decal makes us juveniles more vulnerable to assailants. "In the 1990s there was a string of murders and robberies along the highways of Florida, as criminals targeted tourists through an identifying Z or Y on the license plates of their rental cars. In 1993, Barbara Meller Jensen, a 39-year-old visitor from Germany, was just a few miles from the Miami airport when her rental car was bumped from behind. When she stopped, she was robbed and beaten to death by the occupants of the other car, in front of her two young children. When the assailants were caught, they said they prowled the roads looking for license plates with the telltale letter. Keith Thompson, a 42-year-old postal worker vacationing in Florida, was murdered after his killers spotted the rental-car plate and staked out his vehicle. In all, nine murders in Florida were directly connected to the identifying licenses plates. In one year alone, there were 4,000 crimes related to the plates, including assaults, robberies and smash-and-grabs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Finally, as the Orlando Sentinal reported, "Lawmakers concluded a special session by voting unanimously to outlaw Y and Z license plates on rented cars, where attacks on tourists have been blamed in part on the telltale tags." If this has happened already, why would we want to repeat this? This law is supposed to be "for our safety." If that is the case, why don't substance abusers, people with bad driving record, or the moms that we see on their cell phones while driving receive the decal as well? Again, this is an example of age discrimination against teens. Not all teens are bad drivers, although I do admit that there ARE crazy teen drivers out there. This new law seems to be based on the teenage stereotype of a driver. If this law was placed "for our safety", then the new restriction on time would be enough. If "Kyleigh's Law" isn't abolished, then the state should at least let us drive with three passengers so that we'd have a greater chance against an assailant. The red decals just seem like an excuse for the state to get more money. May 1st definitely marks the beginnning of the end.

And for those teens living in a different state and are saying, "Who cares? Not my problem." Well, consider this: your state may follow our example and place similar restrictions. Would you really want that? Again, I offer my deep condolences to Kyleigh's family. I doubt, however, that Kyleigh really wants to be remembered through one of the most hated laws throughout the entire state.

Even if you don't live in New Jersey, what do you think about this law?

[Kuroda Taishi]

Illinois has already had a law like this for man years.

[Gamabunta]

If they both died, how do they know she told him to stop?

[Toph]

Lol! Good point. By the way, the law isn't that bad (except for the last part). I agree with you jukeboxed. Besides, it was Kyleigh's fault she trusted a stranger.

[Wooster]

I agree with this law. Young people are idiots.

The rest of us need to be protected.

[jukeboxed]

Originally Posted by Gamabunta

If they both died, how do they know she told him to stop?

There were other people in the car that didn't die on the scene. With the information I could gather, there were multiple passengers.

[jukeboxed]

Originally Posted by Wooster

I agree with this law. Young people are idiots.

The rest of us need to be protected.

An opinion's an opinion, and I respect that. ^_^

[jukeboxed]

Originally Posted by Toph

Lol! Good point. By the way, the law isn't that bad (except for the last part). I agree with you jukeboxed. Besides, it was Kyleigh's fault she trusted a stranger.

I believe that Kyleigh personally knew the boy. But, I agree that the law isn't that bad. Most of it's unchanged from what it is now - except for those red decals.

[ukiyo]

they named the kid kyleigh?