ALEA and Alabama State Troopers working to reduce Teenage Vehicle Fatalities
Law enforcement is asking parents with teens ages 16 to 19 for parental help to ensure teenagers follow safe driving practices.
October is National Teen Drivers Safety Month and the Alabama Department of Transportation along with several other Alabama agencies are hoping to reduce crashes and fatalities involving 16 to 19 year old drivers on our roadways.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens and drivers aged 16-19 are twice as likely to crash.
According to Alabama Public Health there are several reasons that contribute to teen deaths on our roads.
- Driver inexperience – this amplifies the effects of most other factors
- Speeding
- Aggressive and/or reckless driving
- Nighttime driving
- Unlicensed and underage driving
- Unsafe vehicles/equipment
About 2,800 teens ages 13-19 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 this number encouraged Alabama’s Graduated Drivers License Law which restricts teen drivers 16 to 19.
Alabama’s Graduated Drivers License Law has three stages of compliance for teens. Learner’s Permit, Restricted License, and Unrestricted License. An Alabama driver with a Restricted License (16-year-old drivers, as well as 17-year-old drivers licensed less than six months) may not:
1. Have more than one non-family passenger other than the parent, guardian, or supervising licensed driver at least 21 years of age.
2. Operate a vehicle between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., unless:
- Accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
- Accompanied by a licensed adult 21 years of age or older with parental consent.
- Going to or from their regular place of work.
- Going to or from a school-sponsored event.
- Going to or from a religious-sponsored event.
- Driving due to a medical, fire, or law enforcement emergency.
- Driving to or from hunting/fishing activities in possession of required licenses.
3. Drive while operating any non-essential handheld communication device.
Teenage drivers who are caught with too many additional underage passengers in their vehicle, non-family members, driving outside of designated hours, under the influence or driving while distracted could face prohibited driving freedoms such as extension of the graduated license period and/or suspension of their license.
