NJ Among Lowest States With Teen Death Rates When A Teen’s Behind the Wheel

Fewer teens driven by their peers are dying on our state and nation’s roadways.  That’s welcome news, but far from a victory. According to an analysis conducted by Erie Insurance, between 2007 and 2011 nearly 16,000 16 to 19-year-olds died in car crashes with another teen behind the wheel. On average, that’s 2,000 fewer teen deaths from the previous five year period, but the per capita fatal crash rate for teens remains 35 percent higher than for drivers 20 and older.  

Working with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Pennsylvania-based insurer looked at national crash data to show a state-by-state comparison of teen crash death rates when teens are behind the wheel. Wyoming, Montana, Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia had the highest rates, while the District of Columbia, New York, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts had the lowest.  

Yes, New Jersey, according to the study, ranks third for lowest teen death rates with teen drivers, just behind Washington, DC and New York. Rounding out the list in descending order are California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Delaware, Minnesota, and Connecticut. What’s driving the lower rates?  Researchers and advocates point to state graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws as a primary factor in helping to lower teen crash rates.  

New Jersey’s GDL, for example, is often cited as a model program for its older licensing age (a teen must be at least 17 to obtain a probationary or restricted license and at least 18 to obtain a basic or unrestricted license), limit on passengers (just one) and nighttime driving (off the road between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.), total ban on the use of electronic devices (including hands-free), and a decal requirement to aid with enforcement. But every state, including New Jersey, could reduce its teen crash rate by adopting stronger GDL laws.  

New Jersey should follow Connecticut and Massachusetts’ lead and require parents to attend an orientation as a pre-requisite for their teen to obtain a permit. Some school districts, including West Morris Central (Morris County) and Warren Hills (Warren County), require students seeking on-campus parking privilege to attend such a program, typically 75-minutes in length, with a parent or guardian. Other schools host teen driving nights or include a brief discussion about the topic during back to school night.  While these efforts are helping to jump-start a dialogue about teen driving in select communities, this scatter-shot approach isn’t ensuring that every family has access to critical information that could help save their teens’ lives.  

Research confirms that when parents understand the risks for their teen drivers and how graduated driving licensing works to address that risk, they’re more likely to support and enforce the proven provisions of our GDL law. And when that happens, teens crash less often.  

New Jersey’s GDL law also lacks guidance when it comes to supervised practice driving. Currently, 46 states require teens holding a permit to log a minimum number of practice hours ranging from 20 in Iowa and Texas to 65 in neighboring Pennsylvania. The other three states joining New Jersey in setting no minimum guidelines for practice driving -- South Dakota, Mississippi and Arkansas -- are also among the top ten states with the highest teen death rates. New Jersey can and must do better.  

Detractors argue that families are busy and shouldn’t be forced to participate in a program or make time to practice with their teen driver. But I’d argue that requiring parents to invest time in an effort that will help  “inoculate” their teens against car crashes -- the number one killer of 16 to 20-year-olds in our state -- is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.