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N.J. Teens Rally Against Driver Decal Law

MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS 2) -- Teenagers rallied in New Jersey on Thursday against a new law they say puts their lives in danger, CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reports.

"No target, no stickers!" came the chants.

High school students are concerned about Kyleigh's Law, which requires drivers under 21 with a provisional license to put red reflective decals on their license plates, front and back.

"I'm concerned that it's going to target us as young drivers for not only the police but also sexual offenders and other predators," 17-year-old Adina Gaughran said.

"They did the blue sticker thing in Florida with the car rental programs and tourists were being beaten up and mugged," 17-year-old Chris Schnurr added.

The law went into effect this month, and is named for 16-year-old Kyleigh D'Alessio, who was killed four years ago in a car accident. Another teen was driving.

Kyleigh's mother said the stickers will help police identify young drivers, subject them to stricter rules like curfews and the number of passengers in the car.

"I understand how parents are really upset about it and see it as a target. But there's no other way I can think of enforcing this law to save our kids lives right now," Donna Weeks said.

Parents at Thursdays rally disagree.

"We don't put stickers on cars of people who have committed crimes. They haven't committed a crime. They haven't done anything wrong. They are driving in their first year. They should not be profiled for that," Laurel Schnurr said.

Students said the decals make them a target, so Thursday they were targeting the offices of three local politicians who supported the law.

While the politicians were not in the office, they've definitely heard from a lot of concerned parents and teenagers. And their chief of staff told CBS 2 HD they're seriously considering a bill that was just introduced that would repeal Kyleigh's Law.

Kyleigh's mother told us even if the law is repealed, she's happy with the awareness it's generated regarding safe teen driving.

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