More teen drivers in summer

Summer is just around the corner. And that means a teenage driver could be just around the corner, too.

As students graduate or begin summer vacation, more teenagers will be on Utah's roads and highways. If past statistics hold true, they are likely to be involved in more automobile accidents as well.

Utah's graduated drivers' licensing laws, which have gone into effect in recent years (1999-2001), do appear to be increasing the on-road safety of teenage drivers.

For example, a study released in February by the Intermountain Injury Control Research Center noted a 5 percent reduction in crashes involving 16-year-old drivers during a three-year period, after the most recent of the laws hit the books.

But some observers say that statistic, while promising, isn't nearly as good as it could be. They hope parents and law enforcement officers will be more involved this summer in making sure Utah teens abide by the rules. They also hope state lawmakers will make some adjustments or additions to the current laws in the near future.

"Clearly, too many people are killed or injured in vehicles driven by teens," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah. "Without change, the situation will grow worse, since teens make up 10.5 percent of the driving population in Utah — the highest percentage in the country.

"Parents can help by controlling how and when their teen drives and emphasizing the responsibility their teen driver has for the safety of all their friends, family and others who share the road."

Lisa Hyde, the researcher who conducted the Intermountain Injury Control study, said news of the 5 percent crash reduction actually came as a disappointment "because a lot of the other states (with graduated drivers' licensing laws) have seen decreases of 20 to 30 percent, just huge decreases."

One reason for that, she said, is that Utah's current laws are based only on time and not on the successful completion of prior stages of a graduated licensing program. In other words, even if a 16-year-old is cited more than once for violating the graduated drivers' licensing laws, that driver is no longer subject to them after a set period of time. Other states tie such violations directly to the licensing point system, and violators do not advance as quickly to the next stage and receive a full license.