Is “Kyleigh’s Law” in New Jersey Unconstitutional?
MORRIS COUNTY, N.J.—(OiP)— Yesterday a New Jersey judge dismissed a lawsuit by a Rockaway lawyer who claimed “Kyleigh’s Law“, signed by Gov. Corzine in April 2009, is unconstitutional. “Kyleigh’s Law,” requires teen drivers with learner’s permits or provisional licenses to display orange decals on their license plates.
NJ Teens Against “Kyleigh’s Law” Teen Driving Restrictions on Facebook currently has 8,180 members. Just this weekend, the wind got knocked out of the activist group when a New Jersey judge upheld the law that is causing quite a stir throughout the Greater Area.
In Morrison County Superior Court on March 5th, Attorney Gregg Trautmann argued that the law is unconstitutional because the orange decals are a “Scarlet Letter” of age discrimination against teen drivers and would become malicious targets of the Police and sexual predators who would take advantage of the new implemented system on May 1st.
“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,” Judge Robert Brennan said in response to the lawsuit according to The Star-Ledger.
Despite the lawsuit being dismissed by the judge, the Facebook group remains optimistic in their statements:
Yes…the law was passed. No…this fight isn’t over. In fact, we’re closer to having this law repealed than we were having it not get signed.
A recently launched website has also reached the attention of thousands of concerned citizens, aptly named StopKyleighsLaw.org. According to their mission statement, the idea is that it’s a “dangerous precedent” and “should be repealed”.
“The most controversial of these new policies is the orange hang tag / sticker requirement, which announces to everyone that a young and inexperienced driver is at the wheel of a specific vehicle,” the organization writes about the new teen driving law.
On the other side of things, there are some who believe Kyleigh’s Law should be passed.
“Kyleigh’s Law should be passed and learn to teach teenagers this day and age, that once you have any type of driving permit/license, it doesn’t mean you can do what you want and feel like you will always get away with it. Too many people, teens especially, die each year due to the stupidity of drivers. At least 4,300 teens ages 16-19 die each year in vehicular accidents. This number is way too high, and teens need to be aware of it. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!!” writes a Facebook Group ‘Kyleigh’s Law Should Be Passed’.
No other hazard is responsible to claiming as many teenage lives, not even teen homicide or suicides according to NHTSA.
Another statistic from the NHTSA claims that not only are the lives claimed an issue, but so are the injuries, with an estimated 300,000 teens injured in car crashes annually.
Is Kyleigh’s Law unconstitutional because it discriminates against teen drivers, and reveals all teens on the road to Law Enforcement and citizens alike?
-Or-
Is teen driving truly a deadly epidemic that led way to ‘Kyleigh’s Law’ that adheres to state laws & the constitution, legally enforcing Teen Driving as a privledge, not a right?
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