Kyleigh's Law: Mandatory Decals for Young Drivers

Good afternoon. I'd like to thank my opponent for proposing such a unique topic to debate. I, too, hope that the debate will be an interesting one. I'll begin by addressing the arguments made by the Con, and then follow up with a proposal of my own. ------------------------------- Con's advocacy basically centers around the dangers of profiling with regards to two particular populations: police and predators. I have 4 responses: 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. 3. The decal serves as a fair and appropriate warning that a given driver may not be as experienced as some of the others on the road. 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]. The same rationale is used when marking any hazardous vehicle. 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). This is a tactic, in fact, that will encourage more defensive driving, since drivers around the youth will be able to compensate for a possible lack of experience. Overall, it is an increase in safety. 4. My opponent states that any tickets which result in profiling will "go through" without any ability for the defendant to check that issuance. This is simply untrue. Nowhere in the Con's description of the law does it state that due process for a not-guilty plea is compromised. If a defendant truly believes that the ticket is bogus, then he/she has every right to challenge the citation. As an employee of the largest circuit court traffic department in the state of Oregon, I can tell you that traffic citations do get dismissed, and that young drivers can be acquitted. ---------------------------- The Pro offers an alternative provision of the law to strike, one which does not seem to protect the public, but compromises the functionality of the justice system. The Pro proposes that the only part of this law that is a poor idea on-face is the restriction of plea bargaining rights to youth drivers involved in motor vehicle violations. Plea bargaining is essential to efficient government function. Plea bargaining, in the context of a traffic citation, takes on a specific form. Because traffic citations are not criminal proceedings, there is no prosecuting attorney. A "court date" consists of the defendant and the judge. The defendant may plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest. Guilty and no contest waive the defendant's right to a trial with the issuing officer, and allow a ticket's case to be decided by the judge that day. No contest is simply a way of not admitting guilt while waiving this right to trial. Hence, plea bargaining is essentially the ability of the judge, within this context, to lower or discharge the fine associated with the ticket. To eliminate this ability, especially only for a certain demographic based on their supposed propensity to be more "guilty" than other drivers, is a usurpation of the judge's authority and a violation of the principles of justice that govern the nation. We prize ourselves in the equitable application of the law—this requires that our judiciary be able to take into account the circumstances of a given violation and apply the law thusly. [1] http://www.car-accidents.com... [2] http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov...