The Ohio Senate approved a law Wednesday that acknowledges a sad fact of the roadway: When teenagers tool around with carloads of friends, they often crash, and they and their passengers often die.
That's what happened in March to 15-year-old Michelle Sanderbeck, a passenger in a car carrying five teenagers. The driver lost control and hit a wall, killing Michelle.
Her parents, in tribute to their daughter, launched a crusade for the bill approved Wednesday.
The law, approved by the Senate 29-3, would let a driver under 17 have one passenger who is not a relative. If a teen driver's parent or guardian were present, more passengers would be permitted.
Brian Newbacher, spokesman for the AAA club covering most of Northeast Ohio, said the Senate's vote will save lives.
"This law will prevent approximately 20 percent of the fatalities that would have occurred," he said.
The law has been approved by the Ohio House and now goes to Gov. Bob Taft, who plans to sign it.
It also would block drivers under 17 from driving from midnight to 6 a.m. without a parent or guard- ian.
Drivers 17 to 18 couldn't be on the road between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The only exception would be for driving to or from work, and the drivers would need documentation from employers.
The changes would take effect in three months but would not alter when teens can get their learning permits, which remains age 15½. Violations would be misdemeanors, with potential fines up to $150. Police could not pull cars over just to investigate whether too many teens are passengers, though. Police could cite drivers with violations of the new law only after spotting another violation.
The bill is important to Debbie and Ray Sanderbeck. It stalled in a House subcommittee in September 2005 and stayed there until the Sanderbecks began fighting for passage.
Their daughter, a Medina High School sophomore, died of neck injuries even though she wore a seat belt.
"We thought of how many children were dying a year, and the kids that were injured," said Ray Sanderbeck, of Montville Township. "We thought of the pain we were going through and are still going through.
"People shouldn't have to feel this."
The Sanderbecks started writing letters about the issue.
"We started at the top, with the president and Oprah," Sanderbeck said. Soon after they were told of a bill sitting in a House subcommittee.
"We were invited to testify," Sanderbeck said. Their story helped get the bill out of the subcommittee. The House passed it 90-3 in May, after rejecting a move to raise the age for learning permits to 16.
Sanderbeck said limiting the number of people in the car is important. "Michelle's our inspiration," he said. "We want her to have a legacy, too.
"We're hoping we can save teen lives and prevent people from feeling this pain."
High school students aren't happy with the new rules.
At Lakewood High School, a lot of students carpool to school, said sophomore Jessica Blalock, 15. Jessica said the law will not increase safety, but said her mother "thinks it's the greatest thing to ever happen."
Henry Taylor, 17, a junior at Shaker Heights High School, said the law is impractical.
"You're going to find people breaking that law left and right," he said.
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