Teen drivers safer when off the road by midnight

One-third of fatal teen car crashes occur at night, with 57 percent of those taking place before 12 a.m., according to new statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But while 49 states restrict nighttime driving as part of a graduated licensing program, 23 prohibit driving only after midnight — well past the time most teens are off the road, the CDC reported.

“Restrictions that start at 12 a.m. or later aren’t really protective,” said lead author Ruth Shults, a senior epidemiologist in the division of unintentional injury prevention at the CDC. They “aren’t providing protection for the majority of teen drivers who are out at night.”

According to the newly reported 2009-2014 statistics, 31 percent of drivers aged 16 and 17 in fatal crashes had them between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. And almost three out of five of these collisions occurred between 9 p.m. and midnight.

Driving after dark raises the risk for fatal crashes across all age groups. But “driving at night is especially challenging for teens because of their inexperience, so every state except Vermont has nighttime driving restrictions,” said Shults.

Kansas, New York and North Carolina start their nighttime teen driving restrictions at 9 p.m., but all the others start later, the researchers found.

Part of the reason for allowing teens on the road later is to accommodate those who work, play sports or engage in other activities at night, Shults said.

States, however, can have exemptions for those reasons while restricting other nighttime driving, she suggested.

The risk for night crashes is increased by drinking or distractions from teen passengers, Shults said. In addition, teens may not use seatbelts as much at night, which makes the odds of serious injury or death more likely.

Parents of newly licensed teens need to be familiar with requirements of the graduated driver licensing system, Shults said.