NEW YORK AND LOUISIANA, TWO STATES HAVING NIGHT DRIVING CURFEWS, WERE INCLUDED IN A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CONDUCTED IN 1983. MOST STUDENTS IN THESE STATES KNEW ABOUT THEIR CURFEW LAW. IN BOTH STATES THE MAJORITY OF LICENSED DRIVERS SAID THEY HAD VIOLATED THE CURFEW, BUT THE MAJORITY CLAIMED TO HAVE VIOLATED THE CURFEW NO MORE THAN TWICE. STUDENTS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE POLICE ENFORCE CURFEW RESTRICTIONS VIGOROUSLY, BUT MANY PARENTS REQUIRE THEIR CHILDREN TO OBEY THE LAW. NEW YORK STUDENTS WERE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN LOUISIANA STUDENTS ABOUT THE RESTRICTIONS, AND THERE WAS MORE EVIDENCE IN NEW YORK THAN LOUISIANA OF REDUCED DRIVING RESULTING FROM THE CURFEW. THESE FINDINGS ARE CONSISTENT WITH RESULTS OF AN EARLIER STUDY THAT FOUND CURFEWS IN BOTH OF THESE STATES REDUCED CRASHES BUT ESTIMATED CRASH REDUCTIONS DURING CURFEW HOURS WERE GREATER IN NEW YORK THAN IN LOUISIANA.(Author/publisher).
Abstract