Study says strict limits on young drivers pay off

A comprehensive, federally funded study of highway fatalities and laws that govern 16-year-old drivers confirmed Monday what past research has suggested: Strict driving rules for teenagers can save lives.

In a report released this morning, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed the number of fatal crashes caused by 16-year-old drivers in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

It found far fewer deaths in states that have tough restrictions on 16-year-olds. Nationwide, they range from a ban on driving after midnight to requiring at least 30 hours of adult driving supervision before a teenager can take a driver’s test.

“There are huge advantages to making sure that kids are trained as well as possible,” said Susan P. Baker, a professor and injury prevention specialist at Bloomberg who led the study.

The report, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, focused on fatalities in the District of Columbia and the 41 states that had some type of graduated driving license programs by the end of 2004, Baker said. Four other states have since enacted restrictions, the agency said.

The researchers found that states with at least a few restrictions on young drivers had 11 percent fewer fatal crashes caused by 16-year-olds between 1994 and 2004 compared with states that had no restrictions.

But 19 states place at least five restrictions on 16-year-old drivers, and those states together reported 20 percent fewer fatalities, Baker said.

Nationwide, there are about 1,000 fatal crashes each year involving 16-year-old drivers, so a 20 percent reduction translates into about 200 lives a year, Baker said.

There was no single restriction that stood out in reducing deaths. “The thing is, all of these restrictions are important,” Baker said.

Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which shared costs for the $264,000 study with Hopkins, said the findings add support for teen driving restrictions.

“I think it will help any state legislators looking at teenage driving laws, and any parents with a teenager who wants to start driving. Parents may want to say, ‘Even if it’s not the law of my state, it can be the law in my house when my children turn 16,’ ” said Nicole Nason, the NHTSA’s administrator.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reached similar conclusions in a smaller study of graduated driving license programs released June 22.

The foundation found that a state with night-time driving and passenger restrictions (Oregon) had 20 percent fewer crashes involving 16-year-olds than a Canadian province (Ontario) that did not have the restrictions.

Although restrictions play a major role, the lead author of the AAA report said getting parents involved is also important. “They should get out on the road and practice with their children under a diversity of conditions,” said Daniel R. Mayhew, senior vice president of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

Traffic safety advocates say the studies support their arguments about the benefits of teen driving restrictions. “None of these studies come as a surprise. This was what we said would happen when we passed these laws,” said Maryland state Delegate William A. Bronrott, a supporter of teen driving restrictions.