Massachusetts' child-fatality review program is calling for more accessible driver education and safer transportation options after examining 41 vehicle-occupant deaths among teenagers ages 15 to 17.
The deaths occurred from 2018 through 2023, according to the Office of the Child Advocate's Oct. 29 report announcement. The count includes drivers and passengers. Of the 23 teenagers who died while driving, 17 held a junior-operator license, the restricted license for drivers younger than 18.
The report recommends a standardized driver-education curriculum and 10 hours of supervised nighttime driving before a junior-operator license is issued. It also proposes an earlier nighttime driving restriction for junior operators, beginning at 9 or 10 p.m., and a primary seat-belt law, which would allow police to stop a vehicle for a seat-belt violation alone.
Other recommendations would require driver education for new license applicants of all ages and expand affordable public transit for teenagers. The report is addressed to the governor and Legislature; the proposals would require further state action.