The number of teens who died in traffic crashes on Illinois roads fell to a new low in 2004.The story from the SJ-R's online breaking news section. Full story tomorrow.
A total of 133 people ages 15 through 19 died in traffic crashes last year, according to Illinois Department of Transportation statistics. It's the lowest total in the 30 years the state has kept track of the statistic. The previous low was in 2000, when 150 teens died.
Update: Here's the full story. The state is indeed attributing the lower numbers to stricter regulation of teen drivers:
State officials credited a pair of relatively new laws for the decrease.
One allows police to ticket drivers solely for not wearing their seat belts.
Previously, officers had to have another reason to pull over a motorist before
issuing a seat-belt ticket.
The other limits the number of teen passengers beginning teen
drivers can have.The law prohibits young drivers for the first six months
after getting their license from carrying more than one other teenager in the
car unless an adult in present.
Statistics show each additional teen passenger increases crash risks by
50 percent.
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