States such as Maryland, which have the strictest form of graduated licensing for young drivers, have 20 percent lower fatality rates in that accident-prone population, according to a study released Thursday.
A study done for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety points to nighttime and passenger restrictions — both of which Maryland mandates for drivers under 18 — as making the major difference in terms of safety.
Restrictions for night driving were instituted in Maryland in 1999, and limitations on minors driving with their peers went into effect this past Oct. 1
“This is really good news for Maryland,” said Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA’s mid-Atlantic Office, which for years has advocated stricter driving provisions for minors. “We now have empirical evidence that the measures that have passed are exactly the right thing to do.”
Dan Mayhew, senior vice president of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, said his group has been concerned about the driving issue for decades because “no matter how you look at it, teens have the highest crash rates out there.”
In this new study, researchers determined that even though every state has some type of graduated licensing, not all graduated licensing is equally effective. The study found that the ideal set-up is when 16- and 17-year-old drivers are not allowed to drive in the dark by themselves or at all with passengers under 18 for at least six months after getting their licenses.
“It ensures that you’re gaining more experience and maturing as a driver,” he said.
Also, major parental involvement was cited as an essential part of the learning process. Mayhew said supervised driving is a “very low risk activity” since few teens crash in the presence of their parents.
Drivers under 18 who obey the rules also fare much better safety-wise. The study found that 30 percent of crash-free minors versus 16 percent of minors involved in crashes said they never violate their state’s graduated licensing restrictions.
“The biggest thing now is making parents, the people who enforce whether their child will be in by curfew, realize this,” Anderson said.
Maryland’s limits for licensed minor drivers
» During the first five months after being licensed, teens may not carry passengers under the age of 18 unless they are with a qualified supervising driver such as a parent.
» Drivers under 18 may not use cell phones while driving except to make an emergency 911 call.
» Drivers must hold their provisional licenses for 18 months with no moving violations to secure a regular license.
» Teen drivers may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian or driving to an exempted activity like their job.
