II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 795 

To provide driver safety grants to States with graduated driver licensing 

laws that meet certain minimum requirements. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 14, 2005 

Mr. DODD (for himself and Mr. WARNER) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works 

A BILL 

To provide driver safety grants to States with graduated 

driver licensing laws that meet certain minimum requirements. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Teen and Novice 

5 Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2005’’ or the 

6 ‘‘STANDUP Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) The National Transportation Safety Board 

2 has reported that— 

3 (A) in 2002, teen drivers, which con4 stituted only 6.4 percent of all drivers, were in5 volved in 14.3 percent of all fatal motor vehicle 

6 crashes; 

7 (B) motor vehicle crashes are the leading 

8 cause of death for Americans between 15 and 

9 20 years of age; 

10 (C) between 1994 and 2003, almost 

11 64,000 Americans between 15 and 20 years of 

12 age died in motor vehicle crashes, an average of 

13 122 per week; and 

14 (D) in 2003— 

15 (i) 3,657 American drivers between 15 

16 and 20 years of age were killed in motor 

17 vehicle crashes; 

18 (ii) 300,000 Americans between 15 

19 and 20 years of age were injured in motor 

20 vehicle crashes; and 

21 (iii) 7,884 American drivers between 

22 15 and 20 years of age were involved in 

23 fatal crashes, resulting in 9,088 total fa24 talities, a 5 percent increase since 1993. 
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1 (2) Though only 20 percent of driving by young 

2 drivers occurs at night, over 50 percent of the motor 

3 vehicle crash fatalities involving young drivers occur 

4 at night. 

5 (3) The National Highway Traffic Safety Ad6 ministration has reported that— 

7 (A) 6,300,000 motor vehicle crashes 

8 claimed the lives of nearly 43,000 Americans in 

9 2003 and injured almost 3,000,000 more Amer10 icans; 

11 (B) teen drivers between 16 and 20 years 

12 of age have a fatality rate that is 4 times the 

13 rate for drivers between 25 and 70 years of age; 

14 and 

15 (C) drivers who are 16 years of age have 

16 a motor vehicle crash rate that is almost ten 

17 times the crash rate for drivers aged between 

18 30 and 60 years of age. 

19 (4) According to the Insurance Institute for 

20 Highway Safety, the chance of a crash by a 16- or 

21 17-year-old driver is doubled if there are 2 peers in 

22 the vehicle and quadrupled with 3 or more peers in 

23 the vehicle. 

24 (5) In 1997, the first full year of its graduated 

25 driver licensing system, Florida experienced a 9 per-
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1 cent reduction in fatal and injurious crashes among 

2 young drivers between the ages of 15 and 18, com3 pared with 1995, according to the Insurance Insti4 tute for Highway Safety. 

5 (6) The Journal of the American Medical Asso6 ciation reports that crashes involving 16-year-old 

7 drivers decreased between 1995 and 1999 by 25 per8 cent in Michigan and 27 percent in North Carolina. 

9 Comprehensive graduated driver licensing systems 

10 were implemented in 1997 in these States. 

11 (7) In California, according to the Automobile 

12 Club of Southern California, teenage passenger 

13 deaths and injuries resulting from crashes involving 

14 16-year-old drivers declined by 40 percent from 

15 1998 to 2000, the first 3 years of California’s grad16 uated driver licensing program. The number of at17 fault collisions involving 16-year-old drivers de18 creased by 24 percent during the same period. 

19 (8) The National Transportation Safety Board 

20 reports that 39 States and the District of Columbia 

21 have implemented 3-stage graduated driver licensing 

22 systems. Many States have not yet implemented 

23 these and other basic safety features of graduated 

24 driver licensing laws to protect the lives of teenage 

25 and novice drivers. 
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1 (9) A 2001 Harris Poll indicates that— 

2 (A) 95 percent of Americans support a re3 quirement of 30 to 50 hours of practice driving 

4 with an adult; 

5 (B) 92 percent of Americans support a 6- 

6 month learner’s permit period; and 

7 (C) 74 percent of Americans support lim8 iting the number of teen passengers in a car 

9 with a teen driver and supervised driving during 

10 high-risk driving periods, such as night. 

11 SEC. 3. STATE GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSING LAWS. 

12 (a) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—A State is in compli13 ance with this section if the State has a graduated driver 

14 licensing law that includes, for novice drivers under the 

15 age of 21— 

16 (1) a 3-stage licensing process, including a 

17 learner’s permit stage and an intermediate stage be18 fore granting an unrestricted driver’s license; 

19 (2) a prohibition on nighttime driving during 

20 the learner’s permit and intermediate stages; 

21 (3) a prohibition, during the learner’s permit 

22 intermediate stages, from operating a motor vehicle 

23 with more than 1 non-familial passenger under the 

24 age of 21 if there is no licensed driver 21 years of 

25 age or older present in the motor vehicle; and 
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1 (4) any other requirement that the Secretary of 

2 Transportation (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec3 retary’’) may require, including— 

4 (A) a learner’s permit stage of at least 6 

5 months; 

6 (B) an intermediate stage of at least 6 

7 months; 

8 (C) for novice drivers in the learner’s per9 mit stage— 

10 (i) a requirement of at least 30 hours 

11 of behind-the-wheel training with a li12 censed driver who is over 21 years of age; 

13 and 

14 (ii) a requirement that any such driv15 er be accompanied and supervised by a li16 censed driver 21 years of age or older at 

17 all times when such driver is operating a 

18 motor vehicle; and 

19 (D) a requirement that the grant of full li20 censure be automatically delayed, in addition to 

21 any other penalties imposed by State law for 

22 any individual who, while holding a provisional 

23 license, convicted of an offense, such as driving 

24 while intoxicated, misrepresentation of their 

25 true age, reckless driving, unbelted driving, 
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1 speeding, or other violations, as determined by 

2 the Secretary. 

3 (b) RULEMAKING.—After public notice and comment 

4 rulemaking the Secretary shall issue regulations necessary 

5 to implement this section. 

6 SEC. 4. INCENTIVE GRANTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each of the first 3 fiscal years 

8 following the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

9 shall award a grant to any State in compliance with sec10 tion 3(a) on or before the first day of that fiscal year that 

11 submits an application under subsection (b). 

12 (b) APPLICATION.—Any State desiring a grant under 

13 this section shall submit an application to the Secretary 

14 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor15 mation as the Secretary may require, including a certifi16 cation by the governor of the State that the State is in 

17 compliance with section 3(a). 

18 (c) GRANTS.—For each fiscal year described in sub19 section (a), amounts appropriated to carry out this section 

20 shall be apportioned to each State in compliance with sec21 tion 3(a) in an amount determined by multiplying— 

22 (1) the amount appropriated to carry out this 

23 section for such fiscal year; by 

24 (2) the ratio that the amount of funds appor25 tioned to each such State for such fiscal year under 
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1 section 402 of title 23, United States Code, bears to 

2 the total amount of funds apportioned to all such 

3 States for such fiscal year under such section 402. 

4 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received under a 

5 grant under this section shall be used for— 

6 (1) enforcement and providing training regard7 ing the State graduated driver licensing law to law 

8 enforcement personnel and other relevant State 

9 agency personnel; 

10 (2) publishing relevant educational materials 

11 that pertain directly or indirectly to the State grad12 uated driver licensing law; and 

13 (3) other administrative activities that the Sec14 retary considers relevant to the State graduated 

15 driver licensing law. 

16 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway 

18 Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to 

19 carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal 

20 years 2005 through 2009. 

21 SEC. 5. WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS FOR NON-COMPLIANCE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

23 (1) FISCAL YEAR 2010.—The Secretary shall 

24 withhold 1.5 percent of the amount otherwise re25 quired to be apportioned to any State for fiscal year 
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1 2010 under each of the paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) 

2 of section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if 

3 that State is not in compliance with section 3(a) of 

4 this Act on October 1, 2009. 

5 (2) FISCAL YEAR 2011.—The Secretary shall 

6 withhold 3 percent of the amount otherwise required 

7 to be apportioned to any State for fiscal year 2011 

8 under each of the paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of 

9 section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if 

10 that State is not in compliance with section 3(a) of 

11 this Act on October 1, 2010. 

12 (3) FISCAL YEAR 2012 AND THEREAFTER.—The 

13 Secretary shall withhold 6 percent of the amount 

14 otherwise required to be apportioned to any State 

15 for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2012 

16 under each of the paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of 

17 section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if 

18 that State is not in compliance with section 3(a) of 

19 this Act on the first day of such fiscal year. 

20 (b) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF WITHHELD

21 FUNDS.— 

22 (1) FUNDS WITHHELD ON OR BEFORE SEP23 TEMBER 30, 2011.—Any amount withheld from any 

24 State under subsection (a) on or before September 

25 30, 2011, shall remain available for distribution to 
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1 the State under subsection (c) until the end of the 

2 third fiscal year following the fiscal year for which 

3 such amount is appropriated. 

4 (2) FUNDS WITHHELD AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 

5 2011.—Any amount withheld under subsection (a)(2) 

6 from any State after September 30, 2011, may not 

7 be distributed to the State. 

8 (c) APPORTIONMENT OF WITHHELD FUNDS AFTER

9 COMPLIANCE.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—If, before the last day of the 

11 period for which funds withheld under subsection (a) 

12 are to remain available to a State under subsection 

13 (b), the State comes into compliance with section 

14 3(a), the Secretary shall, on the first day on which 

15 the State comes into compliance, distribute to the 

16 State any amounts withheld under subsection (a) 

17 that remains available for apportionment to the 

18 State. 

19 (2) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF SUBSE20 QUENTLY APPORTIONED FUNDS.—Any amount dis21 tributed under paragraph (1) shall remain available 

22 for expenditure by the State until the end of the 

23 third fiscal year for which the funds are so appor24 tioned. Any amount not expended by the State by 
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1 the end of such period shall revert back to the 

2 Treasury of the United States. 

3 (3) EFFECT OF NON-COMPLIANCE.—If a State 

4 is not in compliance with section 3(a) at the end of 

5 the period for which any amount withheld under 

6 subsection (a) remains available for distribution to 

7 the State under subsection (b), such amount shall 

8 revert back to the Treasury of the United States. 

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