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Nassau DA Calls For 'More Robust Driver Training' Following Fatal Southern State Parkway Crash

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Last week's deadly crash on the Southern State Parkway has the Nassau County District Attorney calling for stricter driver training laws.

The driver in that crash, 17-year-old Joseph Beer, only had a learner's permit when his Subaru careened into a wooded area in Malverne.

The impact of the crash was so great that the car split apart.

WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reports

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Beer's four passengers all died when they were thrown from the car on impact.

"I think that we should think about maybe broadening the length and the specifics of the driver education program to prepare kids for all of the different scenarios that they could encounter as a new driver," Nassau DA Kathleen Rice told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.

The goal, Rice said, is to prevent another fatal incident from happening through enhanced driver education.

"We need more robust driver training. When you think about the fact that we give a two ton machine and we put it in the hand of kids who have never driven a car before, in my opinion they get very limited experience during their driver training course," Rice told Hall.

Beer, the only survivor of the crash, is recovering at his South Richmond Hill home after being released from the hospital.

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