Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, more teenage drivers die during this period than any other time of year.  Experts call this period the “100 Deadliest Days”, and new measures in New York’s local government are being taken to reduce the number of car accidents involving teens.

But according to details from SILive.com, these new laws to protect teenage drivers might be ignored by teens instead.  Our San Diego auto accident attorneys hope not.  With all of the end of the school parties and proms, teenage drivers are at great risk of being in a car accident, so methods to protect them should be taken absolutely seriously.

Are new laws preventing car accidents among teenage drivers being ignored?

In an effort to bring down car accident related wrongful deaths among teenage drivers, the state of New York passed new legislation to regulate how hard it is to get certain driver’s licenses.  These laws include:

  • Increasing supervised driving requirements from 20 hours to 50 — 15 of which have to be done at night.
  • Teenage drivers under 21 are allowed to have one non-immediate family member as a passenger — this is down from two.
  • Before the road test, a teenager has to have their junior permit for at least six months.
  • The junior license — issued once the road test is passed — is now eliminated.
  • The senior license can be issued to 17-year-olds who pass their road test and complete a state-approved driver’s education course.

A traffic and safety specialist for AAA New York says these rules don’t do enough because 17-year-olds who pass the road test and complete a state-approved course can get an unrestricted senior license — completely undermining one of the new laws.

In 2008, there were over 5,000 people injured or killed in car crashes in New York State by drivers between the ages of 16-20, according to information is from the Department of Motor Vehicles.  More than half the car accidents involving teenage drivers take place on the weekends and mostly between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

One father of a teenage driver killed in a drag-racing accident in 2007 feels strong restrictions are needed on young motorists.  He points out Illinois, the state that has the most comprehensive teenage driving laws in the country, ones which have helped to cut teenage car accidents in half since their introduction in 2008.

Keeping teenager drivers safe while they go from point A to point B is a major concern for parents, lawmakers, and of course, our firm.  We hope that one day California will get on board and pass legislation that keeps teenage drivers safe on the road.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego auto accident attorney or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.