Fatalities For Teen Drivers Are Spiraling Downward Thanks To Tougher Licensing Rules

For parents of teenagers nearing driving age, there should be great comfort in the report released last week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute.  The results of this study indicate a very positive step forward for nervous parents.  This report, which studied the time frame from 1996 through 2010 indicates a dramatic drop in automobile accident death rates for teen drivers of all ages.

The drop in fatality rates for teen drivers over the past 15 years can be directly attributed to tougher licensing restrictions by many of the states.  Teens are having to wait longer to become eligible for a license and are also being required to show that they have received more practice driving with a supervisor as well.   As you would imagine, this report proves that states with the toughest graduated licensing rules have experienced the greatest drop in teen driver fatalities.  Here in NC we have pretty stringent requirements both in terms of licensing age and in terms of hours of practice required for a teen to be eligible for a license.  By contrast, South Dakota allows a teen to obtain a license three months after his or her 14^th birthday.  If that state were to increase the driving age to 17, it is estimated that the state would see a 32% drop in fatal crashes among young drivers.

The graduated licensing rules typically aim at 5 specific areas of training or privilege.  They are the age at which a teenager can obtain a driving permit and start practicing with a parent or other driving supervisor, the number of hours of driving practice that must be completed before a teen is eligible, the age at which the teen can test for and receive a license, the restrictions on night driving, and the restrictions on passengers in their age group allowed in the car.  North Carolina, for instance, has steadily increased their restrictions in each of these categories over the past decade.

The numbers from this report are very encouraging.  The death rate fell for each age group studied.  16 year old drivers had a drop of 68% in fatalities.  17 year old drivers had a 59% decrease while 18 year olds had a 52% decrease.   Even 19 year old drivers show a positive change as well with the death rate for 19 year olds dropping by 47%.

While this is great news there is some bad news on the horizon.   The preliminary data from the first 6 months of 2011 shows an increase in fatalities for 16 and 17 year old drivers of 11%.  Teen driver fatality data is subject to some temporary swings so this may be a blip on the radar or it may be a trend indicating that fatalities are once again on the rise.  The widespread use of smart phones and texting by teen drivers may be playing a role in this disturbing new upward trend in deaths.

Clinard Insurance Group, located in Winston Salem NC has made it a part of our mission for many years to help parents of teen drivers with training tools, information, and exceptionally low teen driver insurance rates for the new drivers in their household.  Please take a moment to check out our teen driver information web page.  There are some free tools there that might help you save your child’s life.   If you have questions about the NC graduated licensing program or about teen driver insurance, please feel free to call us, toll free, at 877-687-7557.