Deadly crashes involving teenagers drop in Oklahoma

Many parents of teenage drivers are worried about their children’s safety behind the wheel of a car but a new report shows fatality accidents involving teens are dropping in the Sooner State.Since 2005, the number of drivers between the ages of 16 and 19-years-old involved in car accidents has dropped 28 percent.“We are thankful to see that fatalities in this age group have been decreasing in our state the past several years,” said Garry Thomas, director of the Oklahoma HighwaySafety Office. “We attribute this trend partially to the Graduated Driver License law; however, we consider every fatal crash a tragedy and we would like to see this number go down even more.”Oklahoma’s Graduated Driver License law allows teen drivers to get experience behind the wheel under low-risk conditions.The law places restrictions on the number of passengers allowed in the car and the time of day that driving is permitted.Also, teens with a learner’s permit or intermediate license are not allowed to use cell phones when driving.Despite the progress, officials say 23 teenage drivers were killed in their first car accident last year.Thomas said, “This shows that one bad decision can result in catastrophic consequences.”