Spotlight on Highway Safety

T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

Prepared for Governors Highway Safety Association by Dr. Allan Williams AllAn f williAms llc

2012 Preliminary data

T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data

summary
the numbers of 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths in passenger vehicles in the United States were higher for the first six months of 2012 than in the first six months of 2011, based on preliminary data provided by all states and the district of Columbia. deaths of 16-year-olds increased from 86 to 107 (24%), and deaths of 17-year-olds increased from 116 to 133 (15%). For both ages combined there was a 19% increase in driver deaths. data from the Fatality analysis reporting System (FarS) for all of 2012 will not be available until the latter part of 2013, but the preliminary data signal that the strong downward trend in 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths that was occurring in recent years has ended, and in fact may have reversed course. driver deaths of 16- and 17-year-olds decreased by almost half from 2007 to 2010. this downward trend ended in 2011. Based on data for the first six months of 2011, the Governors Highway Safety association (GHSa) reported increases in deaths; fatalities for the full year increased by 10% among 16-year-old drivers between 2010 and 2011, and stayed about the same for 17-year-olds. Combining both ages, driver deaths increased for the first time since 2002. the decreases in 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths that occurred from 2003 to 2010 have been attributed to the introduction and strengthening of state graduated driver licensing (Gdl) systems that took place throughout this period, and to the economic downturn in 2008-2009, which particularly affected the youngest drivers. the stoppage and reversal of this downward trend in 2011 and 2012 is presumably related to the partial economic recovery that has taken place. in addition, the pace of state legislation further strengthening Gdl systems has slowed since 2010, which may also be a contributing factor. despite the recent increases in driver deaths among 16- and 17-year-olds, deaths remain at much lower levels than in the early years of the 21st century. nevertheless, the present situation calls for renewed and focused efforts. Substantial further reductions in deaths can be achieved by strengthening Gdl systems and by improving compliance with the provisions. there is a need to improve driver education and training programs so that all young beginners can have access to high-quality training. additionally, the many programs addressing young drivers should be subjected to scientifically-based evaluation, and resources should be concentrated on those shown to have positive effects.

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data

introduction
Since the beginning of the 21st century, passenger vehicle driver deaths have dropped, especially for the youngest drivers. Between 2000 and 2010, 16-year-old driver deaths decreased by almost two-thirds, from 435 to 157 (64%), and 17-year-old fatalities were cut by more than half, from 564 to 253 (55%). during this period, driver fatalities among those older than 17 decreased by 25%, from 20,774 to 15,514. in early 2012, the GHSa issued a report indicating that the decline in fatalities among 16and 17-year-old drivers appeared to have stopped and showed signs of reversing (Governors Highway Safety association, 2012). the report was based on information provided by State Highway Safety Offices for the first six months of 2011, compared with fatality counts for the first six months of 2010 reported in FarS. these comparisons indicated that 16-year-old driver deaths had increased from 80 to 93 (16%), and 17-year-old driver deaths rose from 110 to 118 (7%). GHSa cautioned that the state counts were preliminary, but if this trend continued in the second half of 2011, it would mark the end of the steady and substantial drops in the declines in driver deaths in recent years, particularly among 16-year-olds. FarS 2011 data, released in december 2012, allowed both a check on the accuracy of the comparisons for the first six months of 2010 vs. 2011, based on two different data sources, and a 2010 vs. 2011 full-year comparison, based on FarS counts. the preliminary counts of driver deaths provided by State Highway Safety Offices in almost all cases either matched FarS or were off by one; however, one state counted 10 extra deaths. Basing the comparisons on FarS 2010 vs. FarS 2011 (using the final 2010 file, which differs slightly from the file initially issued), increases in 16- and 17-yearold driver deaths in the first six months of 2011 were still present but more modest than indicated in the GHSa report. the increase in 16-year-old driver deaths was from 79 to 86 (9%), and deaths of 17-year-old drivers increased from 112 to 116 (4%). in the second half of 2011, FarS data indicated that 16-year-old driver deaths increased from 78 in 2010 to 87 in 2011, whereas 17-year-old driver deaths declined from 141 to 134. thus for the full year, 16-year-old driver deaths increased from 157 to 173 (10%) and 17-year-old driver deaths decreased slightly from 253 to 250. For comparison, deaths of drivers older than 17 decreased by 3% from 2010 to 2011. although driver deaths are an important indicator, they are a subset of all motor vehicle deaths. total deaths, including drivers of passenger vehicles as well as passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and all-terrain vehicle drivers decreased slightly for 16-year-olds from 2010 to 2011, from 417 to 411, and total deaths of 17-year-olds declined from 577 to 515. For the present report, the process followed in the 2012 GHSa report was duplicated, based on 2012 data. GHSa asked states to provide information on the numbers of fatally injured 16- and 17-year-old drivers of passenger vehicles (cars, light trucks, SUVs, and vans) for the first half of 2012. all 50 states and the district of Columbia furnished information. States were also asked to comment on any trends in teen fatalities they were seeing, to indicate the necessary steps to improving the protection of teen drivers, and to provide information on programs for addressing the teen driver problem in their state, including new approaches and improvements in driver education.

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data

Teenage Driver fatalities in 2011 and 2012

in the first six months of 2012, compared with the first six months of 2011, driver deaths for 16-year-olds in passenger vehicles increased from 86 to 107 (24%), and 17-year-old driver deaths increased from 116 to 133 (15%). Combining ages, the increase was 19%. table 1 provides details for 16- and 17-year-olds combined.

Table 1 Passenger Vehicle Driver Deaths of 16- and 17-Year-Olds, January-June, 2011 and 2012* January June 2011 2012 change from 2011 Percent change states with increase states with decrease states unchanged states with increase of 5 or more states with decrease of 5 or more
*2012 based on preliminary data reported by states; 2011 data based on FarS

202 240 +38 +19 % 25 17 8 plus D.c. 6 3

data for individual states are shown in table 2.

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data
Table 2 State-by-State 16- and 17-Year-Old Driver Deaths, January-June, 2011 vs. 2012*
State AK Al AR AZ 2011 6 months 0 3 4 2 6 3 0 0 0 14 6 1 3 3 12 3 2 6 9 1 2 1 6 3 10 4 1 17 1 1 1 2 2 0 4 6 9 0 10 0 4 0 6 16 1 2 1 6 4 1 3 202 2012 6 months 1 12 5 9 4 3 1 0 0 5 5 0 4 0 12 16 4 12 15 2 4 0 6 3 8 5 1 9 2 4 0 1 5 0 2 9 7 1 6 1 8 0 16 14 3 6 0 0 6 3 0 240 change 6 months +1 +9 +1 +7 -2 0 +1 0 0 -9 -1 -1 +1 -3 0 +13 +2 +6 +6 +1 +2 -1 0 0 -2 +1 0 -8 +1 +3 -1 -1 +3 0 -2 +3 -2 +1 -4 +1 +4 0 +10 -2 +2 +4 -1 -6 +2 +2 -3 +38

* 2012 based on preliminary data reported by states; 2011 data based on FarS

cA cO cT Dc DE fl GA Hi

numbers of 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths vary greatly across states, depending on factors such as population size, rural-urban mix, types of vehicles driven, weather, and topography. the numbers are generally small and there can be substantial statistical fluctuations; the numbers of deaths and year-to-year changes do not necessarily relate in any systematic way to state-to-state policy differences or policy changes in addressing teen drivers. in several states and the district of Columbia the number of deaths in the periods covered was zero or one. in 2012, states with the highest numbers of deaths for the first six months were indiana and tennessee (16), louisiana (15), texas (14), and alabama, illinois, and Kentucky (12 each). there were six states in which deaths increased by more than 5: alabama, arizona, indiana, Kentucky, louisiana, and tennessee. indiana (+13) and tennessee (+10) had double-digit gains. two states that had among the highest numbers of deaths in the first six months of 2011 Florida and north Carolina had substantial drops in deaths in 2012, and Washington went from 6 deaths to zero.

iA iD il in Ks KY lA mA mD mE mi mn mO ms mT nc nD nE nH nJ nm nV nY OH OK OR PA Ri sc sD Tn TX UT VA VT wA wi wV wY total

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data

Teenage Driver fatality Trends and Patterns

the data indicate that for 16-year-old drivers, the long-standing decline in yearly deaths was reversed in 2011, as deaths began to rise, and that further increases in deaths occurred in the first half of 2012. For 17-year-old drivers, declines in deaths during previous years essentially halted in 2011, and there were increases in deaths in the first six months of 2012. the increases in deaths in 2012 are in line with a statistical projection made by the national Highway traffic Safety administration (nHtSa) (2012) that total deaths during the first half of 2012 increased by 8.4% (13% in the first quarter, 4.7% in the second quarter). However, the increases in deaths among 16-year-olds drivers (24%) and 17-year-olds (15%) are substantially higher than this. nHtSa has also projected a 4.9% increase in total deaths in the third quarter of 2012 compared with the prior year. in attempting to understand the trends in driver deaths since 2000, it is instructive to view the patterns by age, as shown in table 3.

Table 3 Driver Deaths by Age Group, 2000-2011

Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Age 16 435 434 488 413 400 356 326 296 231 195 157 173 Age 17 564 558 639 581 569 525 535 479 349 307 253 250 Age 18-19 1,533 1,533 1,612 1,556 1,526 1,462 1,474 1,333 1,167 1,009 873 845 Age 20+ 19,241 19,316 19,736 19,589 19,413 19,583 19,201 18,296 16,402 15,195 14,641 14,147

among drivers younger than age 20, notable declines began to occur in 2003 and greatly accelerated during the 2007-2010 period. From 2007 to 2010, there were declines of 47% in deaths of both 16- and 17-year-old drivers. this same pattern occurred for 18- and 19-year-old drivers, and the 2007-2010 decrease was 35%. the decreases for 18- and 19-year-old drivers ran in parallel between 2007 and 2010, but inexplicably, in 2011, 18-year-old driver deaths decreased from 441 to 386, and 19-year-old driver deaths increased from 432 to 459. large decreases in deaths for drivers age 20 and older did not begin until 2006, and have continued though 2011. Between 2007 and 2010, driver deaths of 17 to 20-year-olds dropped 20%. it is not possible to explain historical trends in highway deaths with any certainty. Presumably they are the result of some combination of societal trends and targeted countermeasures for which there is empirical evidence, such as vehicle design improvements that have reduced passenger vehicle driver deaths (Farmer & lund, 2006). the dominant trend during the 2007-2012 period was the severe economic

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data
downturn that took place in 2008-2009 and the subsequent partial recovery. it has long been known that economic conditions affect fatal crash rates, likely by affecting the amount and type of driving, particularly discretionary driving, and that fatal crashes drop during times of poor economic conditions (longthorne, Subramanian, & Chen, 2010; Sivak, 2008). Higher gas prices are likely a factor as well. teenagers and others of lesser means are thought to be most sensitive to deteriorating economic conditions and higher gas prices. the economic downturn may have affected both licensure and the amount of driving among teens, given the costs associated with obtaining a license, including the cost of driver education and license fees, as well as vehicle operating expenses. national licensure data in the United States are too unreliable to indicate trends (Foss, 2013), but monitoring the Future national surveys conducted annually by the University of michigan indicate that the proportion of high school seniors who reported that they did not drive during an average week increased gradually from 15% to 22% from 2000 to 2010 (Shults, 2012). a study of age groups 15-24 found that a 10% increase in gas prices reduced fatalities by 3-6%, with the largest reductions among 15- to 17-year-olds (morrisey & Grabowski, 2011). the occurrence of a steep economic decline is at least a partial explanation for the overall decreases in fatalities in the 2007-2010 period, especially for drivers younger than age 20. assuming that teenagers are more affected by economic downturns than are older drivers, one might expect that they also are more affected by upturns in the economy, which could account for some of the bounceback in driver fatalities among the youngest drivers, particularly 16-year-olds. a second factor that may help to explain the extra reductions in driver fatalities among 16- and 17-year-old drivers through 2010 and the recent reversal of this trend is the introduction of graduated driver licensing (Gdl). the basic components of Gdl are an extended learner period allowing for the accumulation of on-road driving practice under supervision, and an intermediate stage with restrictions on late night driving and driving with young passengers. a full-privilege license is available after completing these stages. Gdl replaced licensing systems that generally allowed full driving privileges immediately upon initial licensure to drivers who had minimal learner stage requirements. Gdl is a sensible way to introduce novices to full driving privileges, protecting them and others they encounter on the roads while they are developing experience. although initially resisted, versions of this licensing system have become very popular in the United States (Williams, 2005). Beginning in the mid-1990s, the Gdl movement accelerated rapidly. thirty-one states introduced one or more of the core elements of Gdl prior to 2000, and the other 19 states plus the district of Columbia did so between 2000 and 2006 (insurance institute for Highway Safety, 2012). many evaluations of Gdl have been carried out, indicating crash reductions among 16- and 17-year-olds, especially 16-year-olds (Shope, 2007; Williams, tefft, & Grabowski, 2012). the most comprehensive systems have been found to have the greatest effects (mcCartt et al., 2010; Fell, Jones, romano, & Voas, 2011). many of the early Gdl programs did not have all of the basic components or had weak versions of them, but almost all states have amended their original legislation in ways that should increase positive effects, and some have done so multiple times. more than 100 amendments have been added starting in 1998, most of them going into effect 2005-2010 (Governors Highway Safety association, 2012). these involved adding or strengthening passenger or late-night driving restrictions, adding an extended

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data
learner period or lengthening it, and requiring that parents supervise their learner son or daughter a minimum number of hours, or increasing the number of supervisory hours. the majority of states also added cell phone or texting bans, either through laws applying to all drivers or laws specific to Gdl drivers. in total, the original legislation and amendments to core elements likely contributed to the reductions in 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths that took place nationally in the years prior to 2011. the pace of adding amendments strengthening Gdl legislation has slowed. most states considered modifications to their Gdl systems in 2011 (national Conference of State legislatures, 2011). However, since the end of 2010, only five states successfully enacted changes to core elements, with new provisions going into effect in 2011 in michigan and Pennsylvania, in 2012 in north dakota and north Carolina, and in 2013 in maine (insurance institute for Highway Safety, 2013). Without further major changes, the positive effect of Gdl is basically built in and should not be expected to produce further reductions. this may have contributed to the stalling of the decline in 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths after 2010. this is why compliance with the provisions and restrictions becomes even more important. it is notable, however, that even with the significant increases in deaths in the first half of 2012, the number of 16- to 17-year-old drivers killed is still at a low point historically. table 4 presents data for the first six months for the years 2000-2012 illustrating this point. deaths of 16-year-olds in 2010 are still substantially lower than deaths occurring in years 2000 to 2007 and about the same as in 2008 and 2009; deaths of 17-yearolds are lower than those occurring in 2008 and 2009 and much lower than those that occurred between 2000 and 2007.

Table 4 l 16 and l 17-Year-Old Driver Deaths, January-June, 2000-2012*

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272+208= 257+201= 305+239= 270+194= 268+172= 237+171= 237+160= 244+147= 167+108= 152+103= 112+79= 116+86= 133+107=
239 208 201 194 172 171 160 147 108 103 272 257 305 270 268 237 237 244 79 86 107 167 152 112 116 133 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

* Based on preliminary numbers reported by states for 2012; 2000-2011 numbers based on FarS

T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data

state Activities
individual state data are generally too sparse to detect shifts in driver fatality trends. a decreasing death toll does not mean that efforts to protect young driver should slacken, but a rise in deaths gives extra urgency to picking up the pace in implementing effective countermeasures. the main approaches states can take were summarized in the GHSa document, Curbing Teen Driver Crashes (Governors Highway Safety association, 2012a). this document was based on a 2011 survey of State Highway Safety Offices and deliberations of an expert panel, including consultation with other highway safety professionals. the approaches included strengthening Gdl laws to ensure states have essential elements that address crash risk and skill building; ensuring understanding and enforcement of Gdl laws by law enforcement officials; engaging parents in understanding, supporting and enforcing Gdl laws; strengthening driver education and training; and engaging teens in understanding and addressing driving risks. Gdl has been the dominant approach to addressing the teen driving problem for many years. although most states have enhanced their original Gdl legislation, there is empirical evidence that making existing licensing systems more comprehensive would result in further reductions in fatalities. the insurance institute for Highway Safety (iiHS) (2013a) has made available a Gdl calculator, that estimates the reduction in fatal crash rates of 15to 17-year-old drivers that would result if states had the most stringent provisions found in U.S. Gdl systems: minimum learner permit age of 16; intermediate licensing age of 17; 65 hours of supervised driving; night restriction beginning at 8 p.m.; and passenger restriction allowing zero non-family members. all of these provisions are currently present in one or more states; no state has them all. By adopting all of the model provisions, states could potentially achieve driver fatal crash reductions ranging from 17% to 63% (average 37%) and the total potential lives saved yearly would be more than 500. States can also see the estimated benefits of moving toward but not reaching the most stringent provisions, for example by lowering the starting time of a night driving restriction from midnight to 10 p.m. One new development that might increase motivation to strengthen Gdl laws is the state Graduated licensing incentive program authorized by the federal moving ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (maP-21) act. this act has been signed into law but funds have not yet been released to the states at this writing. the program provides funding to states that satisfy specific requirements in their Gdl laws. it is unclear, however, how many, if any, states will meet the requirements. Comprehensive Gdl laws are important, but lack of compliance with the provisions will limit effects. Police enforcement of Gdl laws has always been an issue (Steenbergen et al., 2001). Several states noted the importance of fostering greater enforcement by the police, although concrete steps for doing so were not indicated. West Virginia has conducted a survey of police on their knowledge of Gdl and enforcement attitudes, which will be used as the basis for developing an approach to increasing enforcement. Parent involvement is another key to making Gdl systems work well. Parents are known to be the chief enforcers of Gdl rules, and it is important that they know the rules and their rationale and supplement them as they see fit. there has been and continues to be considerable outreach to parents in state programs, educating them about Gdl and teen driver safety in general and advising them about how to handle the licensing process. For example, in Vermont, the dmV has just completed a new Parents Supervised driving

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Guide to be provided at the time the teen applies for a learner permit. the maryland mVa, in conjunction with the maryland Highway Safety Office, is currently developing a comprehensive campaign that will stress the importance of parental involvement throughout the entire learning-to-drive stage. missouri has a program to educate parents about the importance of purchasing safe vehicles for their young drivers. the new Jersey division of Highway traffic Safety, in partnership with Kean University and the division of State Police, has developed a safe driving orientation program for parents and teens. the program, known as Share the Keys, is designed to increase parental involvement and understanding of the Gdl law and to strengthen communication between parents and teens through the establishment of clear rules and expectations. Several states or local jurisdictions require short parent orientation sessions as part of driver education, and other states offer voluntary programs for parents of young beginners. the massachusetts registry of motor Vehicles, in conjunction with the department of Public Healths injury Prevention team, is initiating an evaluation tool to assess the impact of the required parent orientation program in their state. it is important that parent programs be rigorously evaluated to determine how effective they are at imparting knowledge and changing parent and teen practices. it is well established in the research literature that simply telling parents what they should do has no demonstrable effects on their behavior (Williams, 2007), but well-crafted influence programs have shown that many parents can be persuaded to adopt important limits on their newly licensed teenagers (Simons-morton, Ouimet & Catalano, 2008). the need for well-designed and wellevaluated programs is illustrated by findings from surveys that many parents do not know what the Gdl rules are in their state, including the number of hours they are legally required to supervise their teens during the learner stage (allstate Foundation, 2013; OBrien, Foss, Goodwin, & masten, 2013). Knowledge of the laws is fundamental if parents are expected to be effective guides and overseers of their children during the licensing process. driver education for beginning drivers is important as a way to learn basic driving skills and rules of the road, and to prepare for the driving test. driver education also can be an effective way of educating teens and their parents about Gdl program specifics and their rationale, and associated penalties. driver education is configured differently around the country, required in about half the states in order to be licensed prior to age 18, and available generally in high schools or commercial programs depending on the state. driver education programs are of varying quality, but many need to be upgraded. new curricula have been developed and administrative standards have been set and endorsed by nHtSa and many major safety organizations. nHtSa has also developed a driver education program assessment tool to help states review their programs and determine where improvements can be made in areas such as program administration, instructor training, coordination with driver licensing, and parental involvement. the 2011 GHSa survey found that 16 states were recently or currently involved in efforts to improve their driving education and training requirements, mostly focusing on improving curriculum (Governors Highway Safety association, 2012a). many states, however, remain locked in the original model of 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours of on-road instruction, although current recommendationscall for 45 hours of classroom and 10 hours behind the wheel. driver education in many states is under the direction of entities other than the State Highway Safety Offices, but in the 2012 survey, considerable activity was reported. Five states (delaware, Kansas, maryland, Vermont, and Oregon) have taken advantage of the driver education assessment tool developed by nHtSa, and idaho plans to do so in 2013.
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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data
michigan will be introducing the latest curriculum of the american driver and traffic Safety education association (adtSea) over the next year, and maine is reviewing its driver education program and strongly considering adopting this curriculum. louisiana is adopting a newly redesigned driver education curriculum. indiana is intending to review and possibly adopt the 45 hours classroom/10 hours driving criteria. Wyoming is making the adtSea standards available as an option for driver education programs. new york has launched the driver education research and innovation Center, with the sole purpose of improving the accessibility and delivery of driver education, using the nHtSa toolkit as a guide. efforts should continue to upgrade driver education and training so that all beginning teenage drivers have access to high-quality programs in the learning-to-drive and licensing process. State-sponsored programs addressing teen driving are many and varied, and cover a variety of topics, including seat belt use, alcohol and other drug-impaired driving, speeding, distraction, and the dangers of late-night driving and teens traveling together. distraction has been the dominant topic in recent years among the media, the general public, and many highway safety professionals. distracted driving is a particular problem for teenagers given their inexperience combined with their high dependence on electronic equipment and frequent travel with peer passengers. Upgraded passenger restrictions would help address the distraction problem, but the more popular approach has been to enact cell phone and texting restrictions. many safety organizations support cell phone bans for novice drivers and they are lacking in 19 states. their contribution has not yet been established. the only studies to date of the effects of cell phone laws on Gdl drivers have not found decreases in phone use related to the law (Foss, Goodwin, mcCartt, & Hellinga, 2009; Goodwin, OBrien, & Foss, 2011), and there is uncertainty about the effects of cell phone and texting laws that apply to all drivers (Highway loss data institute, 2009; trempel, Kyrychenko, & moore, 2011). States have also actively partnered with the private sector in teen driving efforts. too often, federal and state funding for these programs is scarce, so private sector funding is critical. GHSa has continued its longtime partnership on the Ford Driving Skills for Life program. GHSa members partner with Ford to bring this program to their states and numerous states have received funding from Ford to complement their own teen driving efforts. State Farm has also supported a host of GHSa initiatives to highlight best approaches to this issue for State Highway Safety Offices. the allstate Foundation and the national Safety Council also work with many GHSa members to enhance state laws as well as offer educational resources. the many types of public information and educational programs available in states have been described in detail in the prior GHSa publications (2012, 2012a). Peer-to-peer programs, generally school-based, have become popular in recent years. these programs, which often involve contests, incentives, and school competitions, are well received by teenagers and can generate awareness about teen driving issues and increase knowledge. any programs that purport to increase knowledge or to change behavior need to be carefully evaluated to see if they do so, and the evaluations need to be scientifically grounded, generally involving appropriate comparison groups not receiving the program. evaluations of teen driver safety programs based on sound research design principles are rare (see Williams, tefft, & Grabowski, 2012), but they are important not only in revealing if the program is working as intended, but also as a way to identify what improvements can be made.
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concluding comments
Based on preliminary data, there is evidence that in the first six months of 2012 driver deaths of 16- and 17-year-olds have increased, and the increases are substantially more than nHtSas projected increases in total motor vehicle deaths for the first half of 2012. this is the second year in a row that 16-year-old driver deaths have increased, after having dropped steadily and sharply in prior years. the deaths of 17-year-olds were about the same in 2010 and 2011, after earlier decreases, and are now moving higher. despite these changes, deaths for both 16- and 17-year-old drivers are relatively low on a historic basis. nevertheless, the upturn in deaths is a signal that renewed efforts are needed. resources should be concentrated on measures that are already working or can be shown to work in reducing deaths. Graduated driver licensing is a solidly evidencebased policy and has been credited with contributing to the drops in deaths that occurred up to 2010. there are further gains that could be made through strengthening existing laws, although the trend to make such upgrades has slowed down. Upgrades in driver education and training also are possible, have been introduced in some states, and need to be made in more states. in addition, there is a need to subject existing programs aimed at teens and their parents to rigorous evaluation and to promote those that show promise.

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References
allstate Foundation (2013) Survey: Pa teens and parents demonstrate dangerous unawareness of the states strengthened teen safe driving laws. http://allstatenewsroom. com/releases, 1/3/13. Farmer Cm, lund aK (2006) trends over time in the risk of driver death: what if vehicle designs had not improved? Traffic Injury Prevention, 7, 335-342. Fell JC, Jones K, romano e, Voas r (2011) an evaluation of graduated driver licensing effects of fatal crash involvements of young drivers in the United States. Injury Prevention, 12, 423-431. Foss rd, Goodwin aH, mcCartt at, Hellinga la (2009) Short-term effects of a teenage driver cell phone restriction. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 41, 419-424. Foss rd (2013) did graduated driver licensing increase the number of newly licensed 18-year-old drivers in north Carolina? Presentation at transportation research Board annual meeting, Washington d.C., January 15, 2013. available: http://www. youngdriversafety.org/presentations.cfm Goodwin aH, OBrien nP, Foss rd (2012) effect of north Carolinas restriction on teenage driver cell phone use two years after implementation, Accident Analysis & Prevention, 48, 363-367. Governors Highway Safety association (2012) Teenage driver fatalities by state: 2011 preliminary data. Washington dC. Governors Highway Safety association (2012a) Curbing teen driver crashes: an in-depth look at state initiatives. Washington dC. Highway loss data institute (2009) Hand-held cell phone laws and collision claim frequencies, Hldi Bulletin 26(17), arlington Va. insurance institute for Highway Safety (2013) effective dates of graduated licensing laws. available: http://www.iihs.org/laws/graduatedlicenseintro.aspx insurance institute for Highway Safety (2013a) Gdl calculator. available: http://www.iihs. org/laws/gdl_calculator.aspx longthorne a, Subramanian r, Chen C-l (2010) an analysis of the significant decline in motor vehicle traffic fatalities in 2008. report #dOt HS 811 346. Washington dC: national Highway traffic Safety administration. mcCartt at, teoh er, Fields m, Braitman Ka, Hellinga la (2010) Graduated licensing laws and fatal crashes of teenage drivers: a national study. Traffic Injury Prevention, 11, 240-248.

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T eenage Driver Fatalities by State

2012 Preliminary data
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