Kyleigh's Law: Mandatory Decals for Young Drivers

"1. There are a number of different things on a given vehicle that make profiling just as easy. Permits, both hanging and bumper sticker, are perfect examples. Those are just as visible as any decal that the state could place on a vehicle, and indicate the exact same thing: that the driver is most likely a youth. Yet, we do not outlaw high school campus parking decals. " "2. Sexual predators are probably not cruising along the freeway at 75 mph looking for teens to molest. Their profiles tend to suggest something much more quiet and calculated, hence sexual predators will flock toward campuses and other vulnerable locations. I'd like my opponent to warrant this assertion. " I do admit this is an excellent point brought up by my opponent and I will address the two aforementioned points together. " Yes, I do understand that sexual predators are capable of preying on the youth by looking for school issued parking permits. The parking permits which mostly come in a hangtag form to be hung from the rear view mirror of the vehicle. This hangtag is designed to be small, inconspicuous, and out of the way so as not to distract the driver as he or she is driving. This hangtag is only required to be displayed while in the parking lot or where required while on campus. Along with being inconspicuous, the hangtags are designed to be easily removable. So once a student leaves campus, they can remove the hangtag whenever they please. This goes for parking decals and bumper stickers as well. Schools do not care what you do with them as long as they are present on the vehicle when they are required on campus. This is not to mention how many schools are now adopting a special electronic tag, which works under the same concept as an EZ-Pass and can remain hidden as long as the sensor can still reach it. Students drive through an electronic gate which only opens when it senses the tag. The decal that is required pertaining to "Kyleigh's Law" is a bright orange decal [1] which is to remain on the vehicle at all times. In other terms, this decal is meant to stick out like a sore thumb. Making it easier to spot from a distance. "[Sexual Predator's] profiles tend to suggest something much more quiet and calculated, hence sexual predators will flock toward campuses and other vulnerable locations" To my opponents claim here, all I have to say is what campus does not have some sort of campus security? Whether it be walking the grounds, or in the parking lot, there is a guard on duty. If it is a small school where security is not yet mandated, it is understood under law that the campus is small enough where some sort of faculty member or guardian is present. And as for other vulnerable locations, students have the right to take off their school issued permits when off the school grounds. I agree predators go to more secluded areas to commit an act on another person, but the student can take off their school permit to limit the risk, whereas the Kyleigh's Law decal must stay on the vehicle at all times. 3. "Though it is stereotypical, to a certain extent, to claim that all youth drivers are inherently worse than adult drivers (as we've all seen our fair share of terrible adult drivers), the statistics on the matter prove that youth drivers are more likely to commit driving errors than those of older demographics {1} [2]. " According to the link you cited (link number 2), there is a chart located on the page showing car accidents by age in the United States in 2006. Now according to this chart, the number killed in car crashes in 2006 for driver ages 16 – 20 and 21 – 24 yielded 5,658 and 4,701 deaths respectively. On the same chart the deaths of age groups 25 – 34, 35 – 44, and 45 – 54 yielded 7,169, 6,361, and 6,232 deaths respectively [2]. Unless my eyes deceive me here, or my math is wrong, I believe that older drivers died more commonly in car accidents than the younger drivers listed. "We mark student driver cars extensively for the same reason (note that we haven't seen any molestation sprees spurred by predators following around student driver vehicles). " Yes, student driver cars are marked extensively to alert other drivers, but in the state of New Jersey, all of these "extensive markings" are only required for pre-permit drivers attending the driving school which they are always accompanied by a driving instructor. These markings are only needed for the vehicle used by the driving school. As for my opponent's fourth and following points, I must say that is topic for another debate. With all due respect, I specifically stated in the first round, "As for all the restrictions listed above, there are certain ones I agree with, and others that I feel are unjust to these new drivers. But the one that my opponent and I will be focusing on in this debate is the mandatory decal that is to be issued to all student drivers. " I apologize for any confusion and if my opponent chooses, we may debate the other points of the law at a later date. [1] - . http://www.njherald.com... [2] - . http://www.car-accidents.com...