jackiedoherty.org

I appeal to all citizens of the Fifth Congressional District to take advantage of the privilege we have as Americans to determine our leadership and please get out and vote today. I can’t bear the possibility of voter turnout as low as 10 percent as some media outlets have predicted. Nothing is scarier or more disheartening than a democracy where the majority of citizens do not bother to participate.

I read with interest the Sun’s article in Saturday’s paper about parents being required to attend a two-hour class as part of new regulations for junior drivers that also increased the hours of supervised driving time. I was aware that during their first six months of driving, junior drivers cannot transport passengers under 18 years of age unless they are siblings. I was not aware, however, about the zero tolerance policy until just recently, when I learned about one Lowell teen’s experience. This young woman is 17 years old and an honor student at LHS—a nice, responsible kid, who is also involved in sports (not that any of this matters in terms of her driving). She was stopped for speeding last spring because she was going 8 miles over the speed limit on Varnum Avenue. She appealed the ticket, lost, and was required to pay a $100 fee, which resulted in two points being added to her insurance rating for the next six years. My insurance agent informs that because it was her first offense, the two points will not increase her premiums, but will make her ineligible for discount credits good drivers earn. Later, the young woman received a letter in the mail informing her that her license is suspended for 90 days and that she is required to attend two courses: a driver attitudinal retraining class and a state course against road rage. She will also have to retake her written and road driver’s tests and pay a $500 reinstatement fee. Needless to say, the young woman and her family are reeling from these penalties. According to the Registry’s website, 33% of all 16-year-old drivers and 19% of 17-year-olds will be involved in a serious crash. As my insurance agent explains it, the state is serious about curbing teen driving fatalities, and the increased penalties are one way to get junior drivers to understand this. As a parent of a 14-year-old, the issue of teen drivers is on the near horizon for me, but it is also one that impacts us all. So, what do you think? Has the state gone too far?