DIRECTIONS

Volume 2021, Issue 01

Parent assisting teen driver.

Has COVID-19 impacted teen driver safety in NC?

A recent C-19 Mobility and Health Technical Brief about young driver safety during the COVID-19 (C19) pandemic shared several interesting findings:

  • The closure of schools and the statewide stay-at-home order clearly had a substantial effect on young drivers in North Carolina.
  • New permits and licenses dropped off sharply beginning March 2020.
  • Crashes also decreased, likely reflecting fewer trips by young drivers since schools and other activities were cancelled.
  • Provisional license applications rebounded quickly when North Carolina waived the road test requirement. The effect of this action on crashes is not yet known.

We caught up with Natalie O’Brien, the HSRC researcher leading this project, to learn a little more about what her team is investigating. Read full article >>


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Executive Editor: Caroline Mozingo
Managing Editor: Kelly March
Graphic Designer: Graham Russell