Every day, six teens die in a motor vehicle crash. These tragedies are often the result of inexperienced teen drivers taking risks like not buckling up, texting, speeding and driving under the influence or, without sufficient practice, driving in the dark or with teen passengers.
New research from Safe Kids Worldwide, supported by the General Motors Foundation, reveals that family agreements and stronger driver’s license laws, both with provisions to curb risky behavior and build experience, have a proven track record for saving lives. Parents favor the stronger provisions in laws, according to the Safe Kids survey.
The report shows that when parents and teens discuss rules for driving and come to an agreement, whether verbal or written, teens are less likely to engage in risky behavior while driving. For instance, teens who have an established family rule against drinking and driving were 10 times less likely to report doing so than those who didn’t have an established rule. Teens with explicit family rules were more likely to wear their seat belt every time and were less likely to drive distracted or speed.
Similarly, states which have adopted laws with provisions similar to those rules have saved lives.
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws set rules on when a teen driver can enjoy greater privileges as they gain experience by requiring supervised driving periods, limits on night driving and teen passengers in the car. The laws are associated with a 38 percent reduction in the rate of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that if all 50 states had the strictest possible GDL law, it could save about 500 lives a year and prevent 9,500 crashes by 15- to 17-year old drivers.
Driver’s license laws are made in the states. Every state has a GDL program but every state’s law can be improved. This is the experience in two of them:
- Connecticut’s GDL law was passed in 2004 and enhanced in 2008 to include a 48-hour automatic suspension for serious road law violations. In 2014, Connecticut reported that just one driver ages 16-17 died in a motor vehicle crash and zero passengers ages 16-17 driven by a driver in that same age range had been killed.
- New Jersey doesn’t allow full driver’s privileges until age 17, and requires a decal on the car license plate indicating that a teen driver is behind the wheel. After the state implemented its GDL law, the fatal crash rate of 17-year-olds fell by 25 percent compared to drivers ages 25-29.
The research also showed parents who demonstrated good behavior impacted the safe driving habits of their teen drivers. For example, teens who saw a parent driving after drinking were three times more likely to report doing the same than teens whose parents modeled safe behavior. Past research revealed that teens were more likely to buckle up on every ride if their parents made buckling up a consistent habit from a young age.
Smart Strategies for Parents of Teen Drivers:
- Make a formal agreement with your teen driver and enforce it.
- Be a role model for safe driving by following the rules yourself.
- Ensure your new teen driver gets at least 50 hours of experience under a variety of driving conditions.
