Young drivers in New Jersey will soon have to sport a red sticker on their cars. Starting May 1, a little red sticker will have to be placed on the license plates of drivers under 21 when they take the wheel. New Jersey has passed a law stating that one sticker must be bought for $4 per car to be placed on the front and back license plates. This law will lead to discrimination against young drivers which probably wouldn’t happen without a red dot.

In 2001, New Jersey made a curfew for teenagers, and that significantly decreased the teenage accident rates. Because of this New Jersey is one of the top ten safest states for teenage driving. So is there really a reason to put another law into effect?

The ‘red sticker’ law, called the Kyleigh’s Law, will be used so that police will be able to determine whether teenagers are breaking curfew rules, passenger restrictions and speeding laws. What will make sure that most people follow the ‘red sticker’ rule? Any young driver who does not have the sticker on their plates risks a $100 fine. Is this fair, some students may ask? Many students believe that police will be prejudiced when deciding whom to pull over. Although I realize how much this may lower the teen accidents and speeding rates, any huge change like this can cause a lot of controversy. 

First of all, when a teenager reaches eighteen, they are considered a legal adult. Most of them go off to college, live in a dorm or apartment and are for the most part on their own. So why would this law apply to young drivers under 21? This would be subjecting adults to being treated like they were still teenagers, when society always persists on asking them to grow up.

  This new law may make it easier for many cops to go after the cars with the red dots on them just because they are less experienced drivers compared to someone who is middle-aged. Or even worse, it could help pedophiles, sex offenders and rapists go after the young drivers because the ‘red sticker’ would help them easily identify the young drivers and allow them to their destinations. And even if this law causes accidents rates go down, what happens if the rates of rape or even sexual assaults go up; is this the price New Jersey is willing to pay?

When you think about it, young drivers are not the only bad drivers out there. There are drunk drivers, reckless drivers and drunk and reckless drivers. Should not they have restrictions on them too? It is not fair that they do not label people who have been caught with several DUI’s as people who drink and drive with a ‘yellow sticker’. Why not an orange sticker for drivers who have gotten more than two speeding tickets? They are now restricting all teen drivers, but many of them may never have broken any laws or gotten into any accidents, but all of them will be getting punished. Man, they might as well sell cars in different colors depending on what kind of driver you are.

The effects of the law are not worth taking the risks. The age discrimination that will occur as well as the dangers all make it not worth it. There are many safety concerns about exposing teenagers which can lead to a higher rate of other crimes. Also if this law is a must, it should not cost $4; New Jersey should just give them to each driver if they want everyone to sport one. If New Jersey starts this, many other states may follow; and that is another good reason to believe that this law should not go into effect.