This week is Safe Teen Driving Week in Connecticut. Our Department of Motor Vehicles has issued a Press Release that updates and documents the substantial progress we have made as a state, by tightening our teen driver laws, first in 2004 and then again in 2008, and conducting well-conceived public education efforts. I am very proud to work with so many dedicated organizations and individuals here in Connecticut on this public safety challenge. Here is an excerpt from the DMV Press Release:
Connecticut in 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of starting its first set of teen driving restrictions in its Graduated Driver Licensing law for 16 and 17 year-olds. The last decade saw a re-make of the ways that parents, teens, school officials, state policymakers and safety advocates confront issues with this young, vulnerable group of drivers killing and injuring themselves and others on the state’s roads and highways. The result has been tremendous improvement as well as new challenges, such as:
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An 82-percent decrease since 2004 of 16- or 17-year-old driver deaths.
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A 64-percent reduction in the deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers when comparing the four-year period prior to the imposition of restrictions (1999-2003) to the four-year period after enhanced restrictions (2008-2012) in Connecticut.
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How safety risks are developing for 18 and 19 year-olds who delayed getting a license and now possibly face increased chances of crashes, deaths and injuries.
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How drivers on a 2-to-1 basis are more often killed or injured in crashes than passengers.
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Reductions in police summonses, but no clear reasons for the downward trend.
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Continued dangers of distracted driving for teens behind the wheel and in the vehicle.
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Reaching out to teens in various multi-cultural communities in Connecticut as a new legislatively approved program begins January 1 for undocumented residents who want to obtain driver licenses.
