Ten years ago, teen driving laws in Connecticut went through a drastic change. And now that enough time has passed, it is clear that this change was much needed and effective. Here is a closer look at what caused the teen driving laws to change, how impressive the accident rate decrease is, and how Fresh Green Light driving schools in CT are working hard to keep teen drivers safe.
What Caused the Law Changes?
In 2006, Tim Hollister lost his 17-year-old son in a crash on I-84. But this wasn’t the first teen to die that month. In fact, there were 17 teen drivers killed in a mere six-week time span in CT. This led Hollister to believe that something drastic needed to be done to ensure that teens who were getting behind the wheel were safer. An entire task force was appointed to improve the teen driving laws in CT, and the laws were passed two years later.
How Have the New Laws Impacted Teen Driver Accidents?
Even though the laws passed in 2008 were strict, they were overall well received. After seeing the high accident and mortality rate of teenage drivers in CT, how could they not be? Today, Connecticut has some of the most stringent teen driving laws in the nation, and they are paying off. There has been a 70 percent decrease in teen driver accidents and fatalities since the laws were passed, which is the highest decrease in the country. Even driving instructors in CT can see the difference the laws are making.
What Are the Lifesaving Laws?
While there are a few caveats and exceptions, the general idea of Connecticut’s teen driving laws is to make teen drivers start slow, and then gradually expand their allowable driving hours and passengers:
- Until a driver turns 18, they are not allowed to drive between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM.
- Teen drivers are only allowed to drive by themselves, or only have a parent, guardian, or driving instructor with them in the car for the first six months after earning the license.
- After six months has passed, teens are then allowed to transport immediate family members, but that is it. It is only after being legally behind the wheel for a year that teenagers can drive with their friends.
How Fresh Green Light Helps
Of course, the stricter teen driving laws in CT are forcing parents to be more involved and students to be more aware. But as a driver’s ed provider in CT, we are also in the fight. In fact, our students only have a 12.5% accident rate their first year—the national average is almost fifty percent.
Since Fresh Green Light was created by parents who were looking for a better driving school in CT, they know what they are doing. With learning techniques geared for the teenage audience and enthusiastic driving instructors, our students actually enjoy coming to driver’s ed. To learn more about how our driving school in CT can help your child be the safest driver possible, contact us now.
