When 18-year-old Lacey Gallagher was thrown from a spinning, rolling Suzuki SUV on a dark night in April, the world lost an irreplaceable soul admired for her compassionate heart and selfless ways.

An honor student, Lacey looked forward to attending Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia on a soccer scholarship. Her interest was psychology, but those who loved her knew she would make a difference in whatever path she chose.

Lacey died when the SUV in which she was a passenger crashed into a concrete median on the turnpike in Bucks County. The irony is that for a woman so full of life, the way she died might be her greatest legacy.

Police said neither alcohol nor drugs played a role in the tragedy. But other factors should give parents pause.

Lacey died while riding with five teen passengers and a 17-year-old at the wheel. They were traveling about 3 in the morning to a post-prom weekend in the Poconos.

Because seat belts weren't worn, the six were tossed onto the highway before the vehicle came to rest on its roof.

Reducing distractions

An inexperienced teen behind the wheel. A car full of teens in a celebratory mood. Risk taking.

These were the circumstances surrounding the crash that took Lacey's life. They are circumstances that figure in teen fatality after teen fatality across the country. And they are circumstances society can do something about if we value the lives of young people.

Enter state Rep. Kathy Watson, a Bucks County Republican.

Aware that states with more stringent regulations on junior drivers have fewer fatalities, Watson decided to propose a bill to bring Pennsylvania up to speed.

It's known as Lacey's Law, in memory of the late Philadelphia teen, and it proposes safeguards for teen drivers that studies show are saving lives.

"If you know something is a problem, and you know you can fix it legislatively, how can you not do that?" Watson said.

Watson's proposals?

First, she wants to make it a violation for the holder of a junior license to drive more than one passenger under the age of 18. (Transporting siblings would be an exception.)

She said a study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance found the risk of a fatal crash increases by a factor of five when a young driver has two or more teen passengers.

With peers in the car, a young driver is more likely to be distracted and to take risks.

Thirty-seven states already place restrictions on the number of peers a teen may drive.

More training

Second, Watson proposes new drivers have 65 hours of behind-the-wheel training, up from 50 hours. Ten hours must be at night, and five hours must be in rain, snow or ice.

Third, Watson, the mother of a son, wants to allow police to pull over teens when passengers 18 or younger aren't wearing seat belts. At present, police must ignore seat belt violations unless they spot other infractions.

Considering that crashes kill more teens — 5,000 to 6,000 a year — than any other cause of death, Watson's proposals are long overdue. Yet passage is not assured, particularly in the Senate, Watson said.

She told me some lawmakers want parents, not the state, to set driving restrictions. At the risk of being called the state nanny, Watson counters that saving lives must trump leaving control to parents.

I'm a parent of soon-to-be-driving sons, and I worry about keeping them safe. I welcome Watson's efforts.

Her heart goes out to the parents of Lacey Gallagher and to all parents who have lost children because of poor judgment behind the wheel.

Let's pull for Lacey's Law so something positive might come out of the heartache.

E-mail: jhawkes@lnpnews.com