Father of crash victim pushes proposal to limit teenage passengers

UPDATE: Nearly half of all teenage deaths in Iowa are caused by vehicle crashes, and a group of university officials, medical experts and parents is pushing for a change to Iowa law that they say would reduce that percentage.

Senate File 184 would alter Iowa's Graduated Driver Licensing structure by extending the instructional permit phase for drivers as young as 14 from six months to one year and by limiting the number of passengers that teens with intermediate licenses can have for the first year.

The Senate passed the proposal last year, but it didn't see any action in the Iowa House. Lisa Roth, with the Center for Advocacy and Outreach at Blank Children's Hospital, told reporters in Iowa City Wednesdasy that if the bill doesn't get assigned to a House committee next week, it will be dead – at least for now.

“What we're proposing would maximize experience and minimize our risk,” Roth said. “We should do this. We need to do this.”

If the bill doesn't get assigned to a committee in the House by next week's deadline, Roth said, the advocacy group will have to start over next year by getting Senate approval for a second time and House approval.

Micheal Lown, who lost his 14-year-old daughter Mackenzie Lown in a car crash near Tiffin in October, said he wants Iowa to upgrade its Graduated Driver Licensing program because he doesn't want any more families to go through what his family has endured.

“Mackenzie was my only child – my superstar,” he said. “This saves lives and makes sense. I don't know why we wouldn't do it.”

Mackenzie Lown was in a vehicle with five other teenagers – including the driver – when the Chevrolet Lumina she was in crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming minivan. Part of the left rear section of the Lumina was torn off and Lown, who was sitting on the left side of the car in the back, was ejected and suffered fatal injuries.

Mackenzie Lown's parents are suing the driver of the Lumina, 18-year-old Zachary Swenka, who they say accelerated to an “extremely high rate of speed while traveling through an ‘S' curve and crossing a bridge.”

According to the lawsuit, Swenka reached about 100 mph in a 55 mph zone when his vehicle veered to the right and then swerved left, crossing the center line and hitting the oncoming van.

“Obviously I'm connected to this because of what happened to me in my life,” he said. “But the numbers are there. It just make sense.”

From 2004 to 2009, 162 teenage drivers ages 14 to 17 lost their lives in car crashes in Iowa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Motor vehicle fatal crash rates are nearly six times higher for 16-year-old drivers than for drivers ages 30 to 59, said Charles Jennisseen, director of pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“Teens are developing cognitively and emotionally, and driving is a complicated task,” Jennissen said.

Removing distractions, namely other young passengers, has been proven to decrease crashes, he said.

The proposed law would limit the number of passengers under age 21 to no more than one non-family member within the first year that a teenager has his or her intermediate license. It also would extend the period of time of person must have an instruction permit before getting an intermediate license to 12 months from six months.

Jennissen said the concern is that driving in Iowa is different during different seasons, and teenagers need supervision for an entire year to get that training and practice during all types of weather.

“I know that enhancing this law can save more lives and prevent more tragedies,” Jennissen said.