STUDY: Red Decals For Teen Drivers Working In New Jersey
By David Madden
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) – Two years after New Jersey adopted a law requiring teenagers driving with provisional licenses to display a red decal on their license plates, a new independent study suggests the idea is actually working.
AAA and Garden State politicians are among those citing the study performed by Allison Curry (photo) with the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The red squares were supposed to make it easier to identify those using graduated driver's licenses in the state and the study shows that's what is happening.
"They decreased the rate of police reported crashes among probationary drivers by 9 percent, and they also look like they supported the ability of police officers to enforce important GDL restrictions," says Curry.
Tickets to young drivers violating curfews, passenger restrictions and the like were up 14 percent.
Those decals, quite prevalent in Europe, are unique to New Jersey in America, although other states are considering the idea.
