Assembly Transportation Committee Chair John S. Wisniewski pointed to a new study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine as a sign that the new teen driving restrictions New Jersey enacted in 2010 are helping to save lives and prevent more crashes.

Wisniewski, who was one of the sponsors of Kyleigh’s Law which went into effect in May 2010, underscored the fact that there was a nine percent reduction in the police-reported crash rate for probationary drivers during the one year period following the law’s enactment according to the comprehensive study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“This significant reduction in crashes among probationary drivers translates into an estimated 1,624 drivers for whom a crash was prevented,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). “The combination of vigilance, awareness and caution that this new law employs has had a demonstrable effect on the culture of young drivers. One life saved would have made this law worthwhile, but this many crashes avoided makes it a tremendous success.”

Wisniewski also noted that the study shows that the rate of crashes occurring between 12:01 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., when probationary drivers are not allowed on the road, decreased 13 percent and the rate of multiple-vehicle crashes decreased eight percent.

“This study shows that our decal law is having a positive effect on the safety of probationary drivers,” added Wisniewski. “This lends further support to the wisdom of this policy decision. I look forward to CHOP’s continued study of this law to see its long-term impact on the driving culture in our state.” TLS.