Accident rates and traffic fatalities have always been higher amongst inexperienced teenage drivers. Motor vehicle accidents cause one in three teen deaths in the United States annually. On an average day, approximately eight teenagers aged 16 to 19 die in fatal car crashes. When examined on the basis of the number of miles driven, teenagers in this age group are four times more likely to die in a car crash than more senior drivers. Teenage drivers are involved in a substantial number of accidents because of inexperience, risk taking behavior and an unrealistic assessment of their own driving abilities.
One program that has been lauded as having a substantial impact on reducing the number of car accidents involving teen drivers and reducing teen accident fatality rates are graduated licensing programs which have been adopted in all states including Mississippi. Graduated driver’s license programs are designed to grant driving privileges to new inexperienced teen drivers in stages so that the number of risk factors for new drivers is reduced. For example, a new teen driver with an intermediate license in Mississippi is not permitted to drive at night between the hours of 10 PM and 6 AM unless there is a supervising adult driver in the front seat of the vehicle. Teen drivers are also prohibited from text messaging while driving.
It has been widely accepted that graduated driver’s license programs are an effective means of reducing car accidents involving teen drivers. Unfortunately, a new study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that the benefits that were believed to have been generated by graduated driver’s license programs in reducing teen accident rates and teen car accident fatalities may be illusionary. The study which involved analyzing a broad range of car accident data suggests that the restrictions may simply delay teenage accidents until teenagers have obtained their unrestricted license.
Graduated driver’s license programs have been thought to be so successful that a version is now the law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Though there are variations between the states in terms of how these programs work, the philosophy behind the programs is similar to the program in Mississippi. They are a system for granting driving privileges in stages that allow inexperienced new drivers to gain driving experience while reducing accident risks by gradually introducing more challenging driving situations.
Previous studies that were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of graduated licensing programs found as much as a thirty percent reduction in teen accidents for the most inexperienced teen drivers age 15 to 17. While the new JAMA study confirmed that graduated driver’s license programs appear to reduce teen accident rates for the most inexperienced drivers much of the gain is offset by an increase in accident rates amongst fully licensed 18-year-old drivers. The JAMA study found that when accident rates were compared in states before and after the implementation of graduated licensing programs the car accident rate for 18-year-olds increased by twelve percent after enactment of a graduated licensing program.
The researchers suggest that the results may mean it is important to more gradually phase out restrictions that apply to intermediate driver’s licenses. The researchers also suggest that the spike in accident rates for teen drivers who are 18 may be partially linked to drivers waiting longer to seek a license so that they will not be subject to the restrictions. At Barrett Law PLLC, we have seen the tragic consequences of teen inexperience behind the wheel. Teen driving accidents in Mississippi cause many serious injuries and fatalities. If you are a teenager injured in a Mississippi car accident or another driver injured in a collision with a Mississippi teen driver, our experienced teen car accident lawyers have helped many people just like you obtain compensation for their injuries. We will evaluate your Mississippi car accident claim so that we can assess you of your rights and options so call us at 662-834-2376.