Rell, in a letter to legislative leaders, asked that tougher regulations be quickly approved by March 15, which is three days before the deadline of the Transportation Committee, where legislation is pending.
Speaker of the House James A. Amann, D-Milford, said Tuesday that the tragedy, on top of the recent deaths of two young Milford high school students, is bad news for the region, but he's not sure how the Legislature can speed up its process.
"It has become increasingly clear that we are facing a crisis among teenage drivers that is reaching emergency proportions and calls for quick, decisive legislative action," Rell said of the crash. So far this year, seven Connecticut teens have died in crashes, compared to 14 in 2006 and 15 in 2007.
"We cannot — we must not — lose any more young lives," Rell said, noting that her Teen Driving Task Force made recommendations and the legislative Transportation Committee has many legislative proposals under consideration.
"The major provisions of both bills are similar and action on the consensus provisions could, and should, be taken swiftly, either by committee action or by emergency certifying a bill directly to the floor," Rell said, noting that today, the committee will have a public hearing on teen-driving restrictions.
Proposals include more training time for teens; increased penalties, including multi-month loss of licenses for young drivers; and turning back the midnight curfew to 11 p.m. or earlier.
"Today, with the shadow of last night's tragedy not yet dispelled, I ask you to work with me over the next week to craft a consensus bill that we can act upon no later than March 15," Rell said. She said accidents are "an unfortunate fact of life" on the road.
"But car crashes — especially those that cause serious injury or death, involving speeding, inattentive driving, drag racing, alcohol or recklessness — are all the more tragic because they are entirely preventable," she said.
"Across Connecticut, every day and night, parents of teen drivers feel a near-permanent state of anxiety," she said to leaders. "We can never fully assuage the worry that any responsible parent will feel for their child, yet we have a responsibility to do what we can to protect both young drivers and other motorists."
Amann, in a phone interview, said he drove by the parkway accident site Tuesday and said that a crash of its kind, so soon after the Milford collision that killed two boys at his alma mater, Jonathan Law High School, underscores the need for more training for young drivers.
But he's not sure how the General Assembly can expedite its system. "It seems every day we hear more and more of this," Amann said. "We certainly want to do everything in our power to educate young people to the dangers of driving."