A 16-year-old Long Island girl's driving lesson went horribly wrong when she jumped a curb and hit a nine-year-old boy biking on the sidewalk. According to Newsday, Nassau County Police Det. Sgt. Richard Callahan explained that the teen, who was in a Nissan Xterra SUV with her mom, "became alarmed Thursday when she saw an oncoming car in her rearview mirror and poorly negotiated a turn... When she noticed a car bearing down on her, Callahan said, she accelerated but made too wide a turn. Her SUV went up on the curb and hit Andrew Burrous of Floral Park, his mother and a parked Honda." The teen received her learner's permit two weeks ago. more ›

The 16-year-old who fatally struck a man waiting for a bus in Bensonhurst was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and speeding, according to the Daily News. Stanislaw Zak, 65, had been on Bay Ridge Parkway and 18th Avenue when a Mazda driven by Dervish Nivokazi apparently came speeding down the road. Nivokazi first hit a Toyota and then hit Zak, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Nivokazi, who was treated for minor injuries and only had a junior license, was driving without a licensed driver—junior license holders are explicitly prohibited from driving after 9 p.m. in NYC. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a car crash near JFK Airport claimed the lives of two people and injured four others. According to NY1, "Police say a Toyota Corolla traveling southbound on Brookville Boulevard in Rosedale crossed over into the northbound lane and collided into a minivan. The driver of the Corolla, Stephen Bachoon, 17, and one of his passengers, Chris Basdeo, 16, were pronounced dead at the scene." The Corolla's four other passengers—all teens—were taken to the hospital as was the minivan's 70-year-old driver. WTEN points out that you must be 18 year old to drive in New York City. more ›

NJ Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill requiring teen drivers to have decals identifying themselves as probationary drivers starting next year. The decals will probably be attached to the front and rear license plates; the bill, the first of its kind in the country, also includes an earlier curfew, prohibiting the use of cell-phones (even hands-free ones) and passenger restrictions until they get full licenses. Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D) said, "This package will help reinforce the message to teens that driving is a privilege, not a right," but teens worry it'll be a field day for cops. One told the AP, "They see that sticker on the car, they're just going to be pulling us over for no reason. Are there drugs in the car? That's the first thing they're going to think, because we're teenagers." The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers these factoids: 61% of 2007 teenage passenger deaths "occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager" while 20% of "all passenger deaths occurred when a teenager was driving." more ›