Sten Gazette

That we have some serious problems with teenage drivers is unquestioned. Whether the problems are due to a lack of maturity and judgement, inadequate training and supervision, or illegal alcohol and drug use, a piecemeal approach the problem is simply not going to be effective. There are, however, three simple solutions and they could all be implemented with a stroke of the legislative pen. All three could and should be implemented, and any one of them would go a long way to solving teenage driving problems.

The three simple solutions to the “teen driving problem” are:

1. Increase the minimum driving age to 18.

2. Make driver education mandatory.

3. Enforce the traffic laws.

We’ve mocked recent legislation aimed at solving some of these problem– notably the new restrictions on carrying some passengers under some circumstances, or driving between midnight and 5am, or the banning of cell-phones while driving with a learner’s permit (see “Baby Steps” April 24th). Our intention was to show the ridiculous nature of the legislative process when it comes to solving real problems, and we did not wish to trivialize the problems associated with teen drivers. These really are serious problems, requiring our serious attention as a community.

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) has reported statistics related to teen driving. Among those quoted on their web page at RIIA:

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for
teenagers.

16-year-old drivers are three times more likely to die in a
crash than the average for all drivers

16-year-olds have higher crash rates than any other age.

Drivers aged 15-20 were involved in accidents with an economic
impact of $40.8 billion in 2002

Nationwide, 3,657 drivers aged 15-20 died in crashes in 2002.

In 2004, 65.6% of the 96 Colorado teens killed in car crashes were
not wearing seat belts.

In 2004, nearly 80% of teen passengers who died in Colorado
car crashes were riding with teen drivers.

Scary, isn’t it? Graduated Driver Licensing programs (a new driver starts out with restrictions which are removed with experience and age) are said to have helped, but note that Colorado’s GDL went into effect in 1999, and the statistics shown above are for 2002-2004.

Simple Solution #1 — Increase the minimum driving age to 18.

Children are legally minors until they are 18. They can do almost nothing without parental permission. They are not legally competent to sign a contract, or hold a credit card, or enlist in the armed forces, all because they are presumed to lack adequate maturity and judgement. But at 16, we let them go out on the road with a very expensive lethal weapon and put themselves, their passengers, and everyone around them at risk.

In most of the civilized world, you have to be 18 to get a driver’s license, period. In most cases you start out with a restricted or “provisional” license, and in many countries the new driver must display a flag or sign attached to the vehicle’s license plate. Countries with such restrictions have far fewer accidents involving teen drivers.

What about the argument that 16- and 17-year-olds need a car to get to school or work? School’s easy– they can get there the same way they did before they got their license. Work? Well, it’s a safe bet that the vast majority of after-school jobs are filled by kids who don’t have a car, and for those that do the car and its expenses are the main reason for need the job.

Simple Solution #2 — Make driver education mandatory.

Completion of a formal driver education course should be an absolute prerequisite for getting a license. Currently in Colorado enrollment in such a course allows you to get a learner’s permit at fifteen.

Commercial driving schools are expensive, and while completion will make the student eligible for an insurance discount, the discount will be considerably less than the cost of the course. The insurance companies would need to offer a larger discount if they hope to convince the male parent who (a) is funding the project and (b) thinks he can teach his kids to drive.

High schools offer driver’s ed as an elective, and the fees associated with it are often as much as at the commercial schools. Some high schools offer separate classroom (free) and behind-the-wheel (expensive) courses but the classroom courses don’t count for the insurance discount or early permit.

So at the moment the only real incentive for taking a driving course is to get the early learner’s permit (and therefore be eligible for a driver’s license on the 16th birthday).

The bottom line is that if insurance companies are prepared to offer a discount where a teen has completed a driving course, it is because the courses are effective. Graduates are less likely to have accidents, meaning there will be fewer claims. If they are known to be effective, the courses should be mandatory.

Simple Solution #3– Enforce the traffic laws.

This should be a no-brainer, but unfortunately it isn’t. Traffic enforcement in metropolitan areas is a form of taxation. 98% of all tickets issued last year were for speeding or red-light violations, with stop-sign violations a distant third. Out of over a hundred thousand speeding tickets, fourteen (14!) were issued for speeds of 6mph or less over the posted limit.

These are essentially “factory” operations. Those three offenses do indeed have a safety component– speed kills, and so does running a red-light or stop-sign. But enforcement is usually a matter of the “traffic branch” setting up a speed trap or monitoring an intersection. In fact, many jurisdictions are setting up automatic cameras to photograph speeders and red-light runners. These cities are saying it’s a serious enough problem that we will invest in equipment to collect fines from you, but it isn’t worth an officer’s time.

Experienced drivers know what they can get away with– they learn rules of thumb like “9 mph over the speed limit,” or “whatever the traffic is doing.” For that matter, most drivers are pretty reasonable about it. Many seem to accept that they will get a speeding ticket once a year or so and it’s just a minor inconvenience.

Kids see the bad habits of their parents, but don’t have the experience and judgement to know when it is safe to push the speed a bit, or whether they can realistically expect to get through that intersection before the light turns red.

But worse, kids see their parents’ attitude toward speeding and red-light tickets, and have a hard time developing any respect for the rules of the road.

The primary focus of all traffic laws is safety, while the primary focus of most traffic enforcement is revenue. How often have you seen someone blatantly run a red-light, right in front of a police car? How often does the cop put his lights on and go after the violator? Odds are pretty good he (the cop) is on his way to something else, and if he isn’t on “patrol” or “traffic duty” it’s not his problem.

The “minor” violations, like improperly changing lanes, failure to signal, following too close, etc., have a tendency to result in a ticket only if they actually cause an accident. If every cop on the road starting ticketing every single violation they saw, well… they’d be real busy for a few months. But eventually the driving public would get the message and start setting a better example for teen drivers.

–SG

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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 1st, 2005 at 11:21 am and is filed under Law and the Courts, Issues, Simple Solutions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.