"Graduated license" may improve road safety

CHICAGO - Restricting teen-agers' driving privileges until they prove their ability behind the wheel can dramatically reduce crashes involving 16-year-olds, according to studies of "graduated license" laws in Michigan and North Carolina.

The programs may work by simply limiting the amount of time teen-agers spend driving, or by less obvious means, such as rewarding safe driving with more privileges. The studies said both may help explain the programs' success.

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, and the youngest drivers have the highest likelihood of crashing. In the past four years 34 states, and Washington, D.C., have enacted graduated licensing programs, researchers said.

Michigan and North Carolina enacted theirs in 1997. Their studies compared crash statistics from 1996 and 1999.

In Michigan, 16-year-olds were 25 percent less likely to get into a car accident in 1999, said researchers led by Jean Shope of the University of Michigan.

In North Carolina, the risk of a crash dropped 23 percent among 16-year-olds. Nighttime crashes involving 16-year-olds declined by 43 percent, and fatal crashes plunged 57 percent.