Kyleigh's Law Now in Effect Amid Concerns

New Jersey's new law, which went into effect on Saturday, now requires teen drivers with permits or provisional licenses to attach a reflective red sticker to their vehicles.

Kyleigh's Law was named after Kyleigh D'Alessio, a 16-year-old West Morris Central High student who was killed during a car crash in 2006 in which another teen was driving.

The key changes are a new requirement that drivers holding provisional licenses up until age 21 must have red, reflective decals on the front and rear license plates of their vehicle to help police identify these drivers, and a new tighter restriction on the hours teens can be driving. Teens cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The law used to allow driving until midnight.

Failure to affix the sticker so could result in a $100 fine.

The change isn't without controversy. Those in support of the stickers say they will help alert police to those who may be in violation of the Graduated Driver License (GDL) restrictions, while also notifying others on the road that there's an inexperienced driver in their presence. But those against Kyleigh's Law say it discriminates against teens and makes them a target for predators.

Lt. James Anthony of the Bernards Police Department Traffic and Services Division said that his position is to put an emphasis on safety first in situations of potential danger.

"If there's a concern, let's say you're 17-year old sister is working at the mall until it's dark. And she's walking out to her car and she feels nervous about putting the markers. Then I would say drive to a safe location and then put them on," Anthony said.

Anthony said that driving the car without markers would technically be a violation, if it was for a short distance to take safety precautions, he would understand. "I know if I stop somebody who just came out of work, if she's a young lady and she says 'look, I didn't feel safe putting them on with people standing in the parking lot nearby,' I would say OK, that's no problem, I'll stand by and you can put them on right now."

Even with the new mandate going into effect May 1, several state legislators, including nearby District 21 Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, are signing onto a new bill that would repeal the decal portion of the law.

Munoz's youngest child, 16-year-old Max, turns 17 on June 1 and if he passes his driver's test will get a graduated driver's license and be required to sport his own red decals.

"This is a very bad policy," Munoz said. "We've made a convenient target of 17-year-old kids."

Munoz admits her late husband Eric did vote in favor of this law, named after Morris County teenager Kyleigh D'Alessio, who died in a car accident as a passenger in a teen driver's car at age 16.

Munoz said the legislators at the time were touched by the story of one girl who died in an accident. But she says the state can't protect everyone from every thing that can happen to them.

"It's illogical," she said, saying instead of targeting new drivers with decals, the state would do better to require a full 11 months of having a permit before being eligible for your graduated driver's license to ensure teens have as much practice as possible before hitting the road on their own.

"It gives out a false sense of security that it's going to protect kids," she said of the decals.