KOTA Territory NewsSouth Dakota lawmakers in no hurry to raise minimum driving age

South Dakota lawmakers in no hurry to raise minimum driving age

Statistics show teens are more than twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash than older drivers.  That's why South Dakota attorney general Marty Jackley urges teens to keep their eyes on the road.

This week marks National Teen Driver Safety Week.  A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study finds driver distraction contributes to 25 percent of crashes.  Some believe increasing South Dakota's minimum driving age to 16 would cut down on crashes, but many lawmakers think it's fine right where it is.

"Clearly, teenagers are at greater risk than other drivers, there certainly are a lot of teenagers that are 14 or 15 that should not be driving," District 34 Senator and former Rapid City Police Chief Craig Tieszen said.  "On the other hand, we live in a rural state, we have an agricultural economy and I guess in balance, we're probably in a pretty good place."

"I believe that most legislators would conclude that we've got pretty good laws on the books already," District 30 Senator Gordon Howie said.  "And it seems like it would be a little silly to try and fix something that isn't really broken."

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, crashes involving teens account for nearly a quarter of all crashes and nearly a fifth of fatal crashes.