Citing the continuing plague of crash deaths involving teenage motorists, advocates yesterday urged Congress to enact uniform national training standards and restrictions on when, and with whom, teens drive.

One of the proposed restrictions -- a limit of one teenage passenger in a car driven by a teen -- also is contained in legislation scheduled for a vote in the Pennsylvania House on Monday.

"It is too late for my son, Ryan. It is not too late for thousands of other children who deserve to live long, healthy lives," said Tom Didone, a police captain in Montgomery County, Md., who spoke at a news conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday.

Behind Capt. Didone was the wreckage of the vehicle in which his 15-year-old son died in October. A 17-year-old driver who had just obtained his provisional license, driving with Ryan and three other teens in the vehicle, lost control while speeding and hit a tree.

"Teenagers are not equipped to handle the privilege and responsibility of driving on day one of being handed a license," said U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., sponsor of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2009, also known as STANDUP.

The bill would give states three years to adopt uniform standards and restrictions on teen driving or face the loss of federal highway money.

Congress used the same threat to force states to enact measures raising their drinking ages, lowering the drunken driving threshold and imposing zero-tolerance laws for underage drinking and driving.

While Pennsylvania meets many of the proposed standards in Mr. Bishop's bill, it does not currently restrict the number of passengers in cars driven by those with junior licenses.

State House Bill 67, which is scheduled for a vote on Monday in Harrisburg, would allow only one passenger under 18, other than siblings, in cars driven by teenagers.

The federal legislation would allow no more than one nonfamily member under 21 unless an older licensed driver was present.

Research shows that a 16-year-old's chances of dying in a crash increase by 39 percent with a single teen passenger in the car; 86 percent with two teen passengers; and 182 percent with three or more, said Brian Newbacher, public affairs director for AAA East Central, which supports the state bill.

Mr. Newbacher said Pennsylvania is the only state in the region without such a restriction, and one of 13 states nationally without one.

"There will be adjustments needed for families, but it will be well worth the sacrifice," he said.

The state measure, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, also bans use of wireless communication devices, including cell phones and Blackberrys, by teenage drivers, and increases the amount of supervised training required of teen drivers from the current 50 hours to 65 hours.

While most states have toughened the requirements for teen drivers in recent years, vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds.

Nearly 3,200 teen drivers were killed in crashes in 2007 and nearly 4,500 others -- including passengers, people in other cars and pedestrians -- also died in crashes involving teen motorists, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The proposed STANDUP Act would make 16 the youngest age for obtaining a learner's permit. At least six states currently allow teens as young as 14 to obtain them, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The bill would establish three stages -- learner's permit, intermediate stage and full licensure. The minimum age for a full license would be 18.

In addition to restrictions on teen passengers, those younger than 18 would not be allowed to drive unsupervised from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and would be barred from using cell phones or other wireless communication devices while driving.

Yesterday's news conference was sponsored by a new coalition calling itself Safe Roads 4 Teens and was timed to coincide with the start of spring prom season. The group's Web site is saferoads4teens.org.