OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A strong push is under way in Olympia to reduce the amount of car accidents among teenage drivers, and it all starts with a simple sticker.
The red and white decal sticker reads "new driver."
The idea is for the sticker to be placed on the back window of a new driver's vehicle. This would apply to drivers who are 16 and 17 years old.
"I know [teens are] inexperienced and a little bit unpredictable and that is the idea behind this bill. It will warn other motorists that we have new drivers on the road," said bill sponsor Rep. Liz Pike (R-Camas).
Rep. Pike says studies show simple signage has a positive impact. In New Jersey, fatal and serious injury accidents dropped by 9.5% just more than three years after that state started requiring new driver stickers, according to Pike.
Eleven percent of all drivers in Washington state are teens, and Pike says that population accounts for 35% of serious accidents in her home of Clark County.
Under the current bill, the state would only be required to cover an initial cost of providing the decals to current drivers ages 16 and 17. Future new, young drivers would be required to purchase the decal when they get their driver's license.
Reaction to the legislation is split, but most parents who talked with KING 5 said they support the bill.
"I think it's a great idea," Bellevue mother Maria de Anda said. "That way other drivers can be careful when they're around [teen drivers]. I remember when I first started driving. It was by the grace of God that I didn't get into an accident, so yeah, I think it's a good idea."
The decal that would be used is a static-cling sticker that can be removed when adults drive a car shared with young drivers.
The bill is currently in committee, receiving bipartisan support.
