Teens Driving in Massachusetts

In the article, "Fewer Youths Jump Behind The Wheel at 16" by Mary M. Chapman and Micheline Maynard, they talk about how 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. Twenty-five years ago most teenagers took driver's education in their local schools. But the number of school systems offering the program has plummeted to about 20 percent today, from 90 percent in the 1980's said Allen R. Robinson, chief executive of the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, which represents the high school. Over all, teenager drivers have the highest crash risk of any group. Car accidents account for one third of all deaths of 16 to 18 years old. Forty-nine states allowed young drivers to obtain restricted licenses before, on or within a few months of their 16th birthday.