A recent study indicates that teen driver fatalities from car accidents in Pennsylvania and the U.S. rose in the first half of 2011. Highway safety professionals are concerned about this troubling trend.
In Adams and Lancaster Counties alone, 11 younger drivers lost their lives in a six month period. Unfortunately, motor vehicle accidents and teen drivers seem to form a dangerous partnership. Speeding, swerving and driving inexperience form a perilous combination in teen driver motor vehicle accidents. This dangerous mixture caused an Adams County accident, claiming the lives of five New Oxford High School teenagers. Another crash on Route 72 in Rapho Township resulted when a driver lost control on a slick road, leading to the deaths of twin 16-year old boys and their younger sister, age nine.
A recent Governor's Highway Safety Association study notes that in the first half of 2011 teen driver fatalities in passenger vehicles increased by 11 percent. In Pennsylvania alone, young driver deaths increased from eight to 10 during this period.
Researchers contend that the effects of graduated driver licensing laws, which originally helped lower fatalities of new drivers, may be "leveling off." They believe that teen driver risks can be lessened by strict enforcement of new driver laws. The most common provisions, such as restricting driving hours, limiting the number of passengers and prohibiting use of electronic devices, e.g., cell phones, can help lower the number and severity of car accidents and teen driver injuries.
Should data indicate that this fatality increase remained during the latter half of 2011, it would signal the end of eight years of declining deaths for new teen drivers. Observers hope this recent trend did not continue. Time and data will tell.
Source: WPH TV, "Study shows teen driver deaths on increase in first half of 2011," Jenni Joyce, Feb. 20, 2012