Posted by
Billy on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:11:24 AM
If Nebraska started taking the car keys from teenagers caught with alcohol, it
could mean a lot fewer teens on the road.
That's the prediction from
Mike Jamrozy, a junior at Omaha South High School.
He said a legislative
proposal that ties the penalty for minor in possession to the privilege of
driving could either work as a deterrent to underage drinking or lead to fewer
teen drivers.
“That would be a whole lot less kids driving,” said
Jamrozy, 16, who has been driving for 10 months. “That would definitely work.”
He was reacting to a bill advanced Monday by the Legislature's Judiciary
Committee that would ground teens 18 or younger from driving if they were
convicted of possessing, selling, distributing or consuming
alcohol.
Others at South said such a penalty would work only in some
cases. Some kids might drive illegally, for example.
“Thirty days is not
that much,” said Billy Cap, 16, a sophomore.
Delon Ross, 15, said she
doesn't hear of too many students at South getting MIPs, and because most of
them don't drive, she wasn't sure how much effect such a law would have on her
classmates.
Still, the sophomore told a friend: “That's a crappy
rule.”
(We must do everything we can to stop teens from drinking. I would rather some teens be upset about this law than they be involved with
anything to do with drinking. Also if my kids were involved far as drinking goes they would need to fear me more than what any state could do to them. Read more of the above story
Bill would ground teen drinkers.)