LITTLE ROCK, (Ark,) - A crash comparison analysis spanning from 2008 - 2010 demonstrates that the Graduated Driver License (GDL) law has been effective in reducing crashes involving teen drivers and in saving lives.
Between 2008 and 2010, fatalities involving teen drivers were reduced by 59 percent, from about 25 fatal crashes per 10,000 drivers in 2008 to 10 in 2010.
This translates to an estimated 32 actual lives that were saved. The most drastic change was among 16-year-old drivers. The number of crashes among this age group was reduced by 22 percent (from 1,467 per 10,000 drivers in 2008 to 1,145 in 2010).
ACHI also found that between 2008 and 2010, fatalities involving teen drivers from 11p.m. and 4 a.m. dropped by 76 percent, from 21 fatalities in 2008 to 5 fatalities in 2010.
Teens between the ages of 16 and 18 experienced a 19 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes, and a 52 percent reduction in single vehicle fatal crashes. The limit on passengers in a vehicle driven by a teen also helped save lives.
ACHI found a 20 percent decrease in teen driver crashes with multiple passengers from 2008 to 2010. The most significant decrease was recognized in cars carrying five or more passengers.