Fewer 16 year-old drivers means fewer deaths

The national rate of licensed 16 year-olds dropped to 29.8 percent in 2006 from 43.8 percent in 1998, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

That's a precipitous drop in the amount of young, immature men who are behind the wheel. And, undoubtedly, it has resulted in fewer accidents and less deaths.

Teenage boys represent the largest cause of accidents on the road. Many are the result of over enthused high schoolers who choose to drink and party hard while driving. We know this because Peppercom conducted a three year long education campaign called “ESUVEE Safety Campaign” to inform and promote safe driving habits (and fewer rollovers) in sports utility vehicles among this age group. The statistics behind the story were alarming. Our program was leveraged by 50 states with the hopes of just making a dent in this escalating crisis.

According to today’s New York Times article, reasons vary why the drop in 16 year-old drivers has occurred, but cost is clearly the main factor. Two facts that are mentioned include: increases in insurance costs and the shift from school run driver education (think Marcia Brady in the 60s) to expensive private driving academies.

Whatever the reasons are, it doesn't matter. The end result of having fewer 16 year-olds on the road is only a good thing. I'm all for setting a national minimum age driving law that bans this age group from obtaining a license. Or, we should keep raising the cost of entry to the point where it is prohibitive. Think about how making our roads and highways that much safer would measure up...