Teen driver crash rate reduced by new program

A new study has found that graduated drivers license programs, such as Ohio’s, which restrict the driving of young motorists, is saving lives.

“That’s what the state’s graduated driver’s license program was intended to do,” Lt. Doug Eck, commander of the Dayton/Eaton Ohio State Highway Patrol post, said Friday. “In my experience, you see an increase in teen crashes because of lack of experience.”

The program was enacted in 2007. That year 107 drivers statewide from 16 to 20 died in crashes. Last year, that number dropped to 73.

Under the state law, a teenager can enter the program at 15½ and must have 50 hours of supervised driving — 10 of them at night — before moving from the learner stage to the intermediate stage.

In that stage, the teenager is allowed to drive unsupervised but not between midnight and 6 a.m. at the age of 16 and between 1 and 5 a.m. if 17.

With a 16-year-old driving without supervision, there can be no more than one passenger in the car.

At 17, that restriction is lifted.

By 18, there are no restrictions on those seeking a driver’s license.

That can be a problem, according to Sharon Fife, president of both the trade group Driving Schools Association of the Americas and D&D Driving School, which has six offices in the Miami Valley. “Many teens are postponing getting their license until they are 18 and avoiding all the restrictions,” she said.

The study of teen drivers published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association found that 16-year-olds had the lowest rate of fatal crashes (28.2 per 100,000), followed by 17-year-olds (36.9), peaking with 18-year-olds (46.2) before dropping for 19-year-olds (44.0).

The study directly linked the graduated license programs with the lower rate for 16-year-olds.

The research, authored by researchers at California Department of Motor Vehicles and the University of North Carolina, did not reach any conclusions on what might be the cause of the higher rate for 18-year-olds.

“Whether these programs should be extended to include older teenagers merit further study,” said an editorial from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published alongside the study.

“While the graduated drivers license system has significantly reduced crash rates for teens, the problem remains a big public health issue,” said Russ Rader of the safety institute.

During the past 13 years, the institute found crash rates overall were down 68 percent for 16-year-olds, 53 percent for 17-year-olds, 43 percent for 18-year-olds and 39 percent for 19-year-olds.

State Patrol Lt. Eck said he had no scientific or statistical evidence to back up his theory as to why there was difference in teen driver fatality rates.

“With anything over time, some people get complacent. A new driver has fresh in mind that driving can be dangerous and may become more attentive,” he said. “As they gain more confidence, sometimes they gain more confidence than ability.”

Fife of D&D notes that those who get their license at 18 “already think they are good drivers. No matter what age they get their license, they are new drivers. And new drivers crash easier.”

The safety institute and the study researchers all said more research is needed on whether extending graduated drivers license programs to those 18-and-over would help. New Jersey extended its program to include all new drivers younger 21.

A 2010 study found a significant reduction in crash rates of 17- and 18-year-old drivers, while the rate for 19-year-olds held steady.