INDIANAPOLIS — Higher age limits on driver's licenses and a longer driver training period appears to have helped reduce the number of Indiana teens involved in car crashes, according to a new Indiana University study.
The Center for Criminal Justice Research assessed the impact of the state's licensing standards in a study released in late February and found a nearly 14 percent decrease in the crash rate among drivers under the age of 18 during the second half of 2010, with the 16 to 16 1/2 age group accounting for the most significant change with an 83 percent drop.
The program began in July 2009 with restrictions on nighttime driving hours and the use of technological devices, such as cell phones and iPods, while driving. The law was updated in July 2010 to increase the minimum age for obtaining a permit from 15 years to 15 1/2 years and extend the probationary stage until the driver turns 18. The provisions are part of a nationwide effort to curb the incidence of teenage crashes after a number of studies showed teens were involved in more fatal crashes than other age groups due to a lack of experience and maturity on the road.
Matt Nagle, the report's author, said despite teens having the highest crash rate, the numbers were on a steady decline before the provisions changed. For example, in 2008, well before the law was enacted, the number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers in Indiana involved in fatal car crashes was at a 15-year low of 48 fatalities — 33 percent lower than the time period's 71 annual fatal crashes.
The new laws, Nagle said, were put in place to speed up the trend by slowing down the licensing process, giving young drivers more time to establish good habits under the guidance of an adult.
"The big push is, OK, let's continue the process of learning how to drive by learning how to respond to different driving behaviors and different pressure situations, but doing it in a controlled environment," Nagle said.
The law also includes a strict measure that keeps teens from receiving their license if they are caught texting or talking on the phone while driving. Though there is little information available linking teen car crashes to distracted driving because the laws are difficult to enforce, officials overwhelmingly believe there is a correlation between operating a phone while driving and the incidence of car crashes.
Indiana State Police spokesman Dave Bursten said the best way to combat the bad habit is to continue exposing the dangers of driving distractions.
"A lot of adults get tired of hearing the same message over and over, but I often point out to them that there's a whole new crop of drivers who have not heard the message before," Bursten said.
Nagle said just putting a law on the books banning telecommunication devices while driving gains institutional recognition, but isn't effective in influencing teens' decisions behind the wheel.
"In younger drivers it's difficult, more difficult," Nagle said. "It's more of a cultural thing; it's not necessarily just the punitive damage of the ticket. ... It needs to become more of a taboo, kind of along the lines of drunk driving."
Nagle said it is too soon to measure the effectiveness of the graduated age restrictions because the figures are only being weighed against preceding years that didn't have extensive driver training programs.
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