Illinois Injury Law Blog

A horrendous teen car crash in North Chicago recently reminds us that young drivers should be limited to the number of teen passengers permitted to ride in the car, especially during nighttime hours.

The Lake County News-Sun reports that a 16 year-old driver died from internal injuries after losing control of his vehicle, causing him to leave the roadway and smash into a tree. The 17-year-old passenger riding in the vehicle was seriously injured and taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center for treatment. After receiving a 2:45 a.m. call, Waukegan Police Officials arrived at the scene to find the vehicle split in half with the back end of the vehicle lying against a house and the front end lying in the neighbor's yard.

Illinois personal injury lawyers agree that even though state graduated driver's license (GDL) programs have proven to be somewhat successful in reducing teen car accidents nationwide, a valuable lesson can be learned from this incident. Parents and role models of teen drivers should continue to communicate and set guidelines for young drivers even beyond them getting a license because it can make a difference in keeping them safe on Illinois roadways. No good can come from a teen driving in the wee hours of the morning so it is important you set boundaries to keep them from being involved in a car accident.

According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Illinois teens must be 15 to get a learners permit. Teens must be age 16, have 50 hours of supervised driving experience and hold a learners license for 9 months before moving up to the next level of restricted license. During the restricted license stage, teens can't have more than 1 passenger under the age of 20 riding with them during the first 12 months. They also can't drive after 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends or before 6 a.m. any day. The passenger restriction is lifted at age 17 and the nighttime restriction is released at age 18 in Illinois.

CNN reports that state GDL programs seem to produce better results for younger drivers than older teens, according to a recent crash study involving teen drivers. From 1986 to 2007, states that prohibited teen drivers from driving at night or with another teen passenger had 26 percent fewer fatal crashes involving 16-year-olds than states that didn't place these same restrictions on teen drivers. In addition, 18-year-olds showed an increase in fatal accidents by 12 percent, even in states with strong GDL programs.

Since its inception, there have been 1,348 fewer crashes involving 16-year-olds in states with GDL programs. Consequently, there have been almost 1,100 more fatal accidents involving 18-year-olds since 1996 when GDL programs were established. The study found that states with weaker GDL programs reported lower crash rates by 16 percent for 16-year-olds compared to a 10 percent higher crash rate for 18-year-olds.

Each state varies in the restrictions placed on teen drivers and the strength of the GDL program which is offered to young drivers. One thing is certain -- maintaining safe driving behaviors should be a hot topic with your teen beyond them getting a license and well into their college years. Once they become of age to drink, it is critical to have discussions about drinking and driving and the smart choices that need to be made to help avoid a car crash.