THE HARDEST PHASE of Denise Gallagher's life has been book-ended by phone calls.
The first came in the early hours of April 28, 2007, when Denise learned that her 18-year-old daughter, Lacey, had been killed in a prom-night car wreck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The second came two weeks ago, when Rep. Kathy Watson, R-Bucks, phoned with the stunning news that House Bill 9 had finally passed in Harrisburg and would be signed by Gov. Corbett.
The bill limits the number of passengers that a teen driver may have in his or her car. Mandates seat-belt use. Increases the number of practice hours that a driver must have before a license is granted. And orders that at least 10 of those hours be driven at night and in adverse weather conditions.
It will be known as Lacey's Law (a suggestion I made in this column in 2007).
"I could not stop crying when Kathy called me," said Denise, who, with husband Frank, has pushed for tougher teen-driving laws since they lost Lacey. They worked with Watson, whose advocacy has been so relentless, she should be nicknamed Road Warrior.
"If we had known then what we know now about teen driving, we never would have let Lacey in that car. There is no doubt in my mind," Denise said emphatically. Lacey had been packed with six others in an SUV driven that rainy night by a 17-year-old who hit a median and flipped the vehicle. None of the passengers was wearing a seat belt. All were injured.
The Gallagher family - which includes daughters Brianna and Lexi, son Sean and his toddler, named for Lacey - were still catching their breath yesterday after Saturday's annual "Lacey Day" in Fishtown. It's a huge fundraiser at Holy Name of Jesus parish that supports the Lacey Fund, a nonprofit that provides tuition help for Catholic-school students and to lobby for passage of tougher teen-driving laws.
This year, the passage of Lacey's Law added a triumphant vibe to the party. Nearly 400 attendees snatched up the safe-driving brochures supplied by State Farm, a corporate champion of restrictions on teen driving.
I've written often about the need for better teen-driving laws. But if you're not up to speed, allow me to sum up the research. Spearheaded by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, it should've made passage of Lacey's Law a no-brainer when Watson introduced a first version more than four years ago.
