Lawmakers in Pennsylvania believe that a recently passed law, dubbed "Lacey's Law", could help reduce the number of car accidents involving teenagers. The law was initially approved earlier this year but just recently went into effect.

Concern was sparked after a fatal crash occurred in 2007. One teenager was killed in the accident and the other six teenagers in the vehicle were injured. Now, "Lacey's Law" will introduce several changes that will impact young drivers.

One Pennsylvania State Representative noted that the intent of the law is to protect young drivers while they are learning and on the road. Instead of simply being viewed as additional restrictions, the hope is that the new law will give teenagers more experience behind the wheel while still under parental supervision.

Some of the changes include increasing the number of training hours for teenage drivers, adding additional time for night driving. Teenagers will also have to complete a certain number of hours driving in "adverse weather conditions".

To further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a crash, teenagers must have a parent present if other teenagers are also in the car. Perhaps the presence of a parent will reduce the number of distractions a teenage driver may otherwise face while driving.

There have reportedly been a number of more recent serious crashes that have involved teen drivers. Will this new law help to reduce the number of accidents? Only time will tell as patrol troopers begin to enforce many of the new changes on Pennsylvania roads.

Source: LeHigh Valley Live, "New Pennsylvania teen driver laws aim to increase supervised training," Michael Buck, The Express-Times, Dec. 28, 2011