The directive is the first recommendation of Gov. Jon Corzine's Teen Driving Study Commission to be put into practice.
The commission determined that New Jersey's Graduated Driver's License program was being undermined when young drivers were allowed to plead down to lesser motor vehicle offenses carrying no points.
GDL drivers who accumulate three or more points must complete a driver improvement program before being issued a nonprovisional license.
In hearings on teen driving safety held throughout the state last winter, teenagers spoke openly about their willingness to flout motor vehicle laws because of lax consequences.
Because GDL holders are probationary drivers, "it is entirely appropriate that they be held strictly accountable for all motor vehicle violations," Milgram's directive says.
All 50 states have graduated driver's licenses whereby new drivers start with a learner's permit then progress to either a restricted or unrestricted license. Restricted licenses limit driving at night and the number of passengers that can be in the vehicle. Many states require a minimum number of hours behind the wheel before a young driver can get an unrestricted license.
In New Jersey, the process starts with a learner's permit issued at age 16.
"A GDL holder who is charged with a motor vehicle violation does not have a sustained record of safe and lawful driving, which is an important factor that prosecutors routinely consider when determining an appropriate negotiated resolution of pending charges," the order says.
The directive does not limit a prosecutor's ability to dismiss charges as warranted.
AAA New Jersey applauded the directive.
"It is an example of cutting through the clutter to make a direct impact on teen driver safety in this state," said David Weinstein, AAA's representative on the commission.
Other recommendations of the teen driver safety panel being considered by the Legislature include: an 11 p.m. curfew on provisional drivers and limiting to one the number of other teenagers who can be in the car with a provisional driver.
Weinstein said the proposals are based on data showing more than one-third of teen crashes happen after 11 p.m. He said the potential for a serious accident goes up when there is more than one teen passenger riding with a teen driver.
