Teen driving deaths high in W.Va.: Area officials suggest ways to save lives

Oct 05, 2008 (The Dominion Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ALL | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- FOR INFORMATION on teen driving safety, visit www.allstate.com/teen.

West Virginia has the 13th highest fatality rate for teen drivers per capita in the United States, according to a study conducted by Allstate Insurance Company.

Between 2000 and 2006, there were 354 fatal crashes in West Virginia that involved a teen driver, the study found.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, 37 drivers ages 15-20 died in car crashes in West Virginia in 2006. Crashes involving teen drivers in West Virginia that year killed another 37 people as well, the NHTSA said.

That same year, the Morgantown area suffered the loss of several teens killed on local roadways, according to The Dominion Post archives.

Granville Police Chief Ron Snyder said a lack of experience behind the wheel, distractions inside the car and sometimes alcohol are to blame for crashes involving young drivers.

He said a lot of kids are talking on their cell phones or sending text messages while they drive, which also results in crashes.

"Some people can't drive a car when they are paying full attention to it," Snyder said. "When you've got a distraction inside, it's worse."

Police and state officials offer several answers for the problem.

Local crashes

In March 2006, a Preston High School senior was killed when the car he was driving crossed the center line of W.Va. 7 near Manown and struck another car head-on, police said.

On Oct. 31, 2006, an 18-yearold WVU student from Beckley died from injuries sustained in a crash caused by a 20-year-old woman on Monongahela Boulevard. For reasons unknown, the woman crossed the center line and drove into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with the student's car, police said.

A 17-year-old Morgantown High School senior died in November 2006 when his vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on Grafton Road. Accident reconstructions suggested that the teen cut the bend in the roadway a little too hard and crossed into the other lane of traffic.

This summer alone, at least two area teens were killed in car crashes where they, or another teen, was driving.

Pay attention

Westover Police Officer Bob McCauley said he's seen a lot of young drivers get into crashes because of "immaturity, speeding and inattention."

"Most kids -- not all kids -- speed and are in a hurry to get from point A to point B," McCauley said.

He said West Virginia's challenging road conditions -- narrow, mountainous and curvy -- make it even harder for young drivers to drive safely.

He offered the following advice to young drivers: "Slow down, keep your seat belt on and pay attention to what you're doing."

Steve Dale, assistant to the state Division of Motor Vehicles commissioner, said there are 77,636 drivers ages 15-20 in West Virginia.

At 15, level 1, teens can start driving with a learner's permit and a supervising parent or licensed driver over 21, Dale said.

At age 16, level 2, teens can begin to drive alone between the hours of 5 a.m.-11 p.m. if they've had at least six months of infraction-free driving.

After achieving one year of infraction-free driving, teens can drive unsupervised at all times, reaching level 3.

Dale said West Virginia's laws regarding young drivers have some weak points and some strong points, as rated by some national studies.

He said studies recommend permits should not be issued until age 16, instead of 15, and recommend limiting level 2 drivers to one unrelated passenger under the age of 19 while West Virginia allows three.

He said studies also suggest a curfew of 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. for level 2 drivers, instead of 11 p.m.

On a positive note, Dale said, West Virginia law bans hand-held cell phone use for level 1 and 2 drivers and automatically revokes the licenses of those under 18 if they get two traffic tickets.

Dale said the problem with teen drivers is a challenge in all states, not just West Virginia.

"Young drivers account for a far higher number of crashes and fatalities," Dale said.

According to Allstate's study, Mississippi has the highest per capita fatality rate in crashes involving teen drivers, with 889 crashes occurring between 2000 and 2006. The District of Columbia had the best per capita rate with 33 crashes in those same years.

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