New Jersey’s controversial Kyleigh’s Law, which went into effect back in May of 2010, was the first of its kind and now the initial reports on its effectiveness are in.  The legislation was brought about after a 2006 auto accident that killed 16 year-old Kyleigh D’Alessio, whom the law is named after, and several of her underage friends who were involved in a fatal crash.  The regulation requires newer drivers under the age of 21 to affix a red decal to their license plates as part of New Jersey’s reconditioned Graduated Driver License laws.  Much of the opposition to this statute stems from concern that the decal calls attention to the youths, making them susceptible to predators and discrimination from law enforcement.

A recent study just published early last week by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia cited that since the law’s inception, crash rates for teen drivers have dropped 13 percent for drivers 18 years old and 17 percent for 19 year old drivers.  The report also states that since the law went into effect, the hospital has experienced a 9.5 percent decrease in crash-related injuries of teen drivers between 2010 and 2012, with more than 3,100 accidents prevented during that time span.

Adding to those findings, AAA Mid-Atlantic stated that they feel the law has made parents more aware of restrictions placed on probationary drivers because of the red decal program.  2013 statistics from the New Jersey state police also show that last year there were only 46 fatal crashes involving young drivers between the ages of 17 and 20, which is a substantial decrease from the 64 deaths that occurred in 2012.  So far this year there have been 19.

Whether these decreases in teen accident fatalities is the direct effect of Kyleigh’s Law itself or other factors still remains up for debate; but whatever it is, it seems to be working.  Our children are our most precious asset and we want to protect them as best we can.  When something goes wrong, you want legal advice that can help you get through it.  If your teen has been in an accident, give me, David Polsky, a call at (973)686-9787 or email me at [email protected].