State: Teen Driving Laws Have Saved Lives
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) - Illinois state officials say stricter teen driving laws are saving lives.
The laws passed in 2007 upped the amount of adult supervision time teens need from three months to nine -- another move by the state to make sure the new motorists are ready before hitting the road alone.
The laws also doubled the amount of required driving practice time teens need to 50 hours from 25.
In further addition, the laws moved up by an hour curfews for teen drivers to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. They also prohibited teens from having more than one other unrelated teen in the car during their first year of driving, compared to the current six-month restriction.
Since the laws have passed, schools have also had to give teen drivers more practice on the roads. The law required that teens get six hours of road training.
Illinois State Police statistics show there were 71 teen driving deaths in 2009. That compares to 146 in 2007 -- before the laws changed.
But some experts say the laws might not be the only reason behind the drop in deaths.
Dr. Robert Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, tells the Daily Herald that accident numbers also decrease when gas prices are high or the economy is bad.
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