Editorial: Better training, better drivers

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 | 7:19 a.m.

A new study has found that state laws that place restrictions on 16-year-old drivers have significantly reduced the number of fatal accidents involving these drivers. Developing effective strategies in this area can't be overstated : The leading cause of death for teenagers is from traffic accidents. In 2004, the latest year studied, 16-year-old drivers were involved in 957 fatal accidents, killing 1,111 people.

The study of 43 states, which was carried out by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, specifically looked at the value of graduated driver-licensing programs. These programs have common-sense restrictions, such as requiring:

In those states that had graduated driver licensing, the rate of 16-year-olds in fatal accidents was 20 percent lower than in those states that didn't have them. That is quite a testimonial for graduated driver licensing.

While the laws were important, they can only do so much when it comes to modifying a teen's behavior. The study's researchers said parental involvement was crucial. Indeed, researchers say that it appears parents were more successful at enforcing driving restrictions on their children when state laws were in place to support them.

Almost all teens will push the limits - whether it is in the music they listen to, how they wear their hair or how they dress. And being a parent will never be easy. But graduated driver-licensing laws and, even more importantly, a resolve by parents to set firm guidelines on when and where their children drive and with whom they ride, are critical in improving the odds that they will be safer drivers.