03/18/2022
On March 28th, 2022 Itzy’s older sister, Ivette, will be sharing Itzy’s story and testifying before California State Legislature in support of AB 2388.
AB 2388 would extend the CA GDL program to include first time older novice drivers up to 20 years old.
Young novice drivers through age 20 years old have the highest crash rates of all ages of drivers on California’s roadways. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles reports 16-19-year-olds crash rate is 2.7 times higher than all other ages. Between 2014 and 2019 16-19-year-old drivers’ involved vehicle crashes resulted in more than 76,000 emergency room visits, 5,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths (NHTSA, CDC and CA DPH EPICenter data). California’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program will ensure young first-time drivers have the driver education and experience they need to decrease driving risks and risks to everyone else sharing the road with them. Currently only 16 and 17-year-old novice drivers must go through our state’s GDL program to obtain a driver’s license, even though 18, 19, and 20-year-old novice drivers have crash rates 40% to 60% higher than younger first-time drivers who have been through GDL.
The GDL program allows all novice drivers to have a license and drive, but provides them with the types of driver education, training and experience that are proven to give them the experience they need to be a good driver. The GDL program does not prevent young drivers from driving to work, school, or helping family members with daily family necessary trips. AB 2388 will literally save hundreds of young people’s lives each year; it will also make our roadways safer for everyone else.
The novice driver in the crash that killed Itzy would have benefitted from the GDL extension proposed in AB 2388. It is too late for Itzy and her family, but we can still save countless lives by supporting AB 2388.
If you would like to submit a letter of support please let us know below and we can assist with that.
