Mountain Lakes students rewarded for following Kyleigh's Law

MOUNTAIN LAKES – High school students leaving campus Tuesday afternoon had to pass through a Kyleigh's Law checkpoint, where police made sure they were following the law, which requires certain drivers younger than 21 to have red decals on their license plates.

Not obeying Kyleigh's Law can bring a $100 fine and mandatory court appearance, but on Tuesday, police only were issuing warnings to violators. Instead, they were rewarding those in compliance with the law with Dunkin' Donuts gift cards.

"No summonses today, just trying to promote compliance, raise awareness and pass out this info," said Boonton Township police officer Tom Cacciabeve. "And to reward people for complying with an unpopular law."

While prior checkpoints involved strict enforcement of the law, Cacciabeve said police wanted to try a different approach Tuesday.

"Punishing violators may work to an extent, but we felt strongly about rewarding the young men and women of our community who decided to be role models amongst their peers," Cacciabeve said. "I think any parent would agree that regardless of how they felt about placing a red decal on their child's vehicle, if it could be proven that these decals would keep our children safe and prevent even one teen crash, then these decals have done their job."

Kyleigh's Law is entering its fifth year this month, which is why Cacciabeve wanted to do something special while raising awareness of the law. In previous years, police simply checked licenses with no reward incentive. The $5 gift cards were purchased by the Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township police departments. Students from both towns attend the high school.

The law is named for Kyleigh D'Alessio, a 16-year-old West Morris Central High School student killed in a Washington Township car accident in 2006. The 17-year-old driver was violating graduated driver licensing restrictions at the time of the crash, carrying three passengers when the limit was one.

As a response, Kyleigh's Law was enacted in 2010.

The red decal identifies drivers younger than 18 or inexperienced drivers younger than 21 to police, who can then see if they are breaking the law. But some say the decals are targeting the young drivers, resulting in many drivers not complying with the law.

Mountain Lakes Sgt. Gil Benitez, the high school resource officer, said the controversy surrounding Kyleigh's Law starts with parents.

"Some parents don't like their child being identified as a minor. A lot are not in favor of it," Benitez said. "But Kyleigh's Law helps officers identify them for their own safety."

Veyd Shringarpure, a 17-year-old senior, was driving back to school for tennis practice when officers stopped him Tuesday afternoon.

"I was actually worried I was speeding, but I guess not," Shringarpure said. "I pull up, see police wearing sunglasses, so you know they're serious, and they asked if I knew why I was being stopped. I said 'no,' so they told me it was because I was following Kyleigh's Law, and they were proud of me."

Surprised, Shringarpure was given a Dunkin' Donuts gift card and sent on his way.

"I think a program like this will inspire more kids to put on the decals," Shringarpure said. "Most people I know don't have decals on their car, so I guess it is a problem. I just leave it on, it's not a big deal, and I don't see why some people don't. It's not doing any harm, so why not?"

Shringarpure estimates at least 40 percent of 17-year-old students with driver's licenses at his high school don't have decals on their cars.

"I know my friends don't always have it on," he said. "To me it just seems like a nuisance to take it on and off all the time, but they said they feel targeted for being underage."

Police passed information to students including the statistics on the law's effectiveness in its first five years, including that teen crashes have been reduced by 9.5 percent — 3,200 prevented crashes — since its enactment.

Additional stats: One of every five first-year drivers will be involved in a crash, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of teen deaths, and nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes each year.

Cacciabeve said while young drivers are getting pulled over for violations, including driving past curfew and having too many passengers, the largest lack of compliance comes from the red decals.

"We're working to fade this stigma, this perception about Kyleigh's Law," Cacciabeve said. "Because it's the law, regardless of how popular it is."

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com