Summary of Nine Provisions Contained Within Senate Bill 172

1. Triple the Instruction Permit Phase from 3 to 9 months;
2. Change the nighttime driving restriction from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday -Thursday and from midnight to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (contains exemptions for work and school-sanctioned activities);
3. Double the period -- from 6 months to 12 months - that a new driver may have a maximum of one unrelated teen passenger (exempts siblings);
4. Ticket drivers AND passengers age 15-20 who violate the passenger restriction law;
5. Require students to obtain a minimum of 6 hours of actual, on-the-street driver training with a certified driver education instructor (effective July 1, 2008, this provision prohibits the use of driving simulators and driving ranges as substitutes for these 6 core hours);
6. Implement a true GDL system that requires new drivers to earn their way from one stage to the next (upon issuance of an Instruction Permit, the driver must remain conviction-free for 9 months before become eligible for a driver's license. The teen driver would then have to drive conviction free for 6 months in addition to reaching age 18 before moving from the initial licensing phase to the full licensing phase);
7. Establish a stricter law in which the driver's license for those under age 21 would be suspended for each additional conviction following a driver's initial suspension for 2 moving violations within a 24-month period;
8. Mandate drivers under the age of 18 to appear in court with a parent or guardian and attend a traffic safety program as requirements to receive court supervision;
9. Establish new penalties including license revocation and vehicle impoundment for street racing.