Motorcycle safety laws are not strong enough for teens

My 17-year-old brother laughs
at me as he puts on his motorcycle
helmet and heavy nylon
jacket; he's all geared up for a
ride around the neighborhood.
I've just finished giving him my
"motorcycles are too dangerous
for any little brother of mine"
speech and he doesn't take it
too seriously. Like many young
riders, he doesn't take the dangers
of riding a motorcycle seriously
either.

Young or old, any person
who drives a vehicle assumes
a level of responsibility
for themselves and other drivers
on the road. Young people
in particular have difficulty recognizing
this responsibility and
often find themselves in accidents
that could have been prevented
had they been a bit older
and in turn, more mature. This
is not to say that every young
person is irresponsible or every
experienced rider is cautious.
Studies show, however, that the
brain is not fully developed until
after the teenage years.

According to a collaborative
study conducted by
Cornell University, University
of Rochester and the NYS Center
for School Safety, "the greatest
changes to the parts of the
brain that are responsible for
functions such as self-control,
judgment, emotions and organization
occur between puberty
and adulthood. This may
help to explain certain teenage
behavior such as poor decisio nmaking
and recklessness."

Current New Jersey
motorcycle laws simply do not
take this sort of scientific material
into account and 17 years
old is considered old enough to
receive a motorcycle license. It
is a scary fact that people with
under-developed brains are allowed
to control such dangerous
and fast vehicles.

Our society has acknowledged
the dangers of allowing
young people to drive
cars. There are laws in New Jersey
that protect young drivers
from dangers they face on the
road. For example, first time
drivers can't drive after midnight
and are not allowed to
drive with more than one passenger.

These are effective laws
put in place to keep young car
drivers safe on the road, but
there aren't nearly as many
when it comes to young motorcycle
drivers. From the earliest
stages, motorcyclists have an
easier time obtaining a license,
enabling them to glide effortlessly
into the path of danger
and perhaps death. Any person
applying for a standard driver's
license must first pass a road
test to test their skills of driving,
and applied knowledge of road
rules. This is not always the case
for motorcyclists. As stated on
the Motorcycle Manual issued
by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission, "an applicant
may obtain a road test waiver
by successfully completing a
Motorcycle Safety Education
Program."

As for regulating drivers
once they obtain a license,
New Jersey laws are much more
lax on motorcyclists than they
are on drivers of automobiles.
On the American Motorcyclist
Association (AMA) website
you'll find how low the standards
are for motorcyclists. One
prime example is that there
are no restrictions on helmet
speakers, whereas in comparison,
driving a car while using
headphones will land you a
ticket.

According to Consumer Reports.
org, "Motorcycle
deaths are on the rise, while automotive
fatalities are decreasing.
The trends do reflect an
increasing number of younger
motorcyclists piloting performance
bikes, as well as continued
improvement in car safety."

Car makers have the
advantage of reinforcing the
shell of a car to protect its passengers
but there is no possibility
of similar protection on a
motorcycle. For many, the very
appeal of driving a motorcycle
lies in the danger of the activity
and the adrenaline rush of accelerating
to high speeds.

"Inexperienced riders
cause many more crashes," says
the New Jersey Department of
Law and Public Safety on their
website. They go on to say, "if
you're involved in a motorcycle
crash in New Jersey, statistics
show that you have a 75 percent
chance of being injured."

I'd like to think that
with these facts, no parent or
lawmaker would ever allow,
or at least not encourage, new
drivers to explore the congested
and perilous roads of New Jersey
on a motorcycle. Unfortunately
driving motorcycles is allowed
and the lax rules behind
motorcycle laws and obtaining
a license encourage it by making
it easier to do than getting a
driver's license. Each year more
young people choose to ride
motorcycles instead of opting
for the protection of a full motor
vehicle. Based on new studies
on adolescent brains and the
horrific statistics of motorcycle-
related deaths, New Jersey
simply should not allow young
people to obtain motorcycle licenses.