NU Online News Service, Aug. 9, 2:16 p.m.EDT

WASHINGTON—The insurance industry is trying to buildsupport for Senate bill provision establishing minimum requirementsfor state-graduated driver licensing (GDL).

In an effort to energize the public behind the bill, forexample, Allstate conducted a survey and presented the results tomembers of the Senate showing that nearly 6 in 10 Americans favorthe provision.

According to Allstate officials, the survey results show thatsupport for a national law corresponds with low opinions aboutteen-driving skills, which received the lowest ranking among allages surveyed.

Eighty-one percent of respondents rate teenagers as "average" or"poor" drivers.

"Results from this survey show that Americans clearly understandthat GDL laws can help save lives, and that a majority of themsupport a legislative solution that safely introduces teen driversto the road," says Bill Vainisi, senior vice president and deputygeneral counsel, Allstate.

"What's needed now is national leadership in the form of uniformstandards for those GDL laws," he adds.

Melissa Shelk, vice president of federal affairs for theAmerican Insurance Association (AIA), says, "Car accidents are thenumber-one killer of teenagers in the United States, and theprovision, if enacted, would slow this dangerous trend and sparethousands of families the heartbreaking loss of a teenagechild."

Shelk states, "The idea behind GDL laws is simple: minimize riskwhile maximizing experience. With GDL programs, teens gain drivingprivileges commensurate with their developing skills and goodjudgment."

She contends, "Research shows that if every state had strong GDLlaws, 175 deaths and about 350,000 injuries could be prevented eachyear."

The Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Actis pending in Congress as part of the Motor Vehicle and HighwaySafety Improvement Act of 2011, which has recently been introducedin the Senate.

The STANDUP Act provision is also known as "Mariah's Law," namedafter an Arkansas teen killed in a crash involving texting.

Another purpose of the bill is to urge the National HighwayTransportation Safety Administration to increase the reliabilityand performance of electronic systems which operate and controlcritical vehicle safety systems. It will also seek to provideconsumers with improved access to government information regardingsafety-related information, recalls and safety defects.

The STANDUP Act calls for uniform standards restricting teennighttime driving, limiting the number of passengers in a teen'scar, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, and issuingpermits and licenses with specific age requirements and through agradual, multi-phased process.