"The American Academy of Pediatrics—a non-profit professional organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults—applauds Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) for introducing the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2010 (STAND UP Act) today in the United States Senate.

“Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States, and the STAND UP Act makes an important improvement in teenage driving by requiring states to have uniform 3-stage graduated driving license (GDL) programs. GDL programs allow young drivers to ease into the traffic environment and have been proven to reduce traffic crashes.

“The STAND UP Act includes many provisions from the Academy’s teen driver policy statement that would reduce crash risk exposure for young drivers, such as a ban of nonemergency use of cellular telephones and other communication devices by teenage drivers when operating a motor vehicle. The legislation also limits the number of underage passengers that can accompany a teenage driver when no adult is present.

“The provisions included in the STAND UP Act address the continuing threat motor vehicle crashes pose to the health of teenagers and mark a commitment to the safety of our nation’s youth. The American Academy of Pediatrics appreciates Sen. Gillibrand’s sponsorship of this important legislation and looks forward to working with the Senate to move this bill through Congress.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.