Connecticut is entering its fourth year of having toughened and strengthened teen driving laws. These measures remain among the strongest in the country. By many critical standards, Connecticut for several reasons continues to show signs of improved safe driving by teens, enforcement of the teen driving laws by police and promotion of community awareness propelled by safety advocates and parents. A strained state budget now will require the DMV Center for Teen Safe Driving to seek private-sector and foundation-provided funding to continue this outreach that helps to produce these beneficial effects for teen drivers, their families and their communities. This year’s report finds most noticeably the number of 16 and 17 year-olds holding licenses has continued to decrease, despite their statewide population remaining stable since 2008 when the laws were enacted. Although safety advocates differ on interpreting the reasons, all agree this decrease plays a beneficial role in Connecticut’s progress because of the continued reductions – as the charts in this report show - in crashes and deaths of drivers as well as convictions for violating the teen driving laws. These criteria alone embrace the core reasons for statewide action three years ago: A demand to curb the tragedies that crashes bring and a call for more intensive efforts to foster safer teen driving both through awareness as well as sanctions. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting