According to the report, “Miles to go: Monitoring Progress in Teen Driver Safety”, substantial progress is being made to reduce the risks associated with car accidents involving teen drivers. However, injuries sustained in accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for teens, with traumatic brain injuries and skull fractures following car crashes accounting for about 30% of the 55,000 serious injuries that occurred in 2009 and 2010.

Researchers determined that states with the most stringent driving laws had lower numbers of children who died in car crashes. States with loose driving laws had significantly more teen car accident deaths. Those laws often require the teen to have at least 50 hours of adult-supervised driving experience, limits the number of passengers a teen driver can carry, requires seat belt use and restricts the amount of driving that can be done at night.

The report also found that teens were more likely to adhere to seat belt laws in states with the strictest driving rules.

Overall, researchers saw improvements in teen driving safety over the last several years. From 2005 to 2010 the death rate among teen drivers dropped 46 percent, according to the report.

Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for young adults and teenagers. According to data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of a car crash for teen drivers between 16 and 19 is four times greater than for older drivers.

Maryland teen drivers may soon be required to wait longer to obtain a driver’s license and further restrictions could be placed on their ability to drive at night. The new bills propose raising the teenagers to get a learner’s permit to 16 years old (it is currently 15 years, 9 months) and require that they wait until they are 16 years, 6 months before they obtain a restricted provisional driver’s license. They would not be permitted to get a full license until their 18th birthday.

The law would also require that teenage drivers in Maryland have their cars off the road before 11 p.m., as opposed to the midnight deadline for driving that is currently in place. The penalties for breaking these rules would also be stiffened.

If these bills are passed and enacted as law, hopefully have a positive impact on the safety of our roads and reduce the number of people who will need the services of our Maryland accident attorneys.