By Leftlane Staff
Friday, Jul 7th, 2006 @ 4:09 pm

U.S. highway safety officials said this week that the minimum age for full driving privileges should be 17 years. A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows states with the most restrictive teen licensing laws reduced deaths for 16-year-olds by up to 21%. These laws prevent 16-year-olds from driving alone and include other restrictions. Less stringent laws, such as those that simply impose night or passenger restrictions, reduced fatal crashes among 16-year-old drivers by 11%. Restrictions would include age requirements for learner’s permits, intermediate and full licenses; a three-month waiting period before the intermediate stage; nighttime driving limits; restrictions on the number of passengers; and 30 or more hours of supervised driving. The Leftlane Perspective: On the surface, the numbers support the argument. However, we suspect if any age group was barred from driving at night, limited to one or two passengers, and was subjected to supervision from an authority figure, accident rates would fall just as much. 21 percent suddenly seems like a rather small margin.

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