What are some federal policies that could be created that would reduce the number of teen drivers killed in traffic accidents that are not related...

The federal government can do things that could help try to reduce the number of fatalities of teen drivers caused by traffic accidents. Some actions would put pressure on the state governments, which issue drivers licenses, to comply. Other actions could include developing federal policies affecting the entire country.

One thing the federal government could do would be to tie federal transportation money to following federal recommendations. For example, many years ago, states that refused to increase the drinking age to 21 would have lost federal transportation dollars. The same could be done with policies affecting young drivers. The federal government could “recommend” that states place restrictions on young drivers. For example, young drivers may not be allowed to have more than one non-adult passenger in the car when they are driving. Young drivers could be prohibited from driving after 10:30 PM. States that refused to follow these guidelines would lose the federal transportation dollars. There could be cars manufactured that couldn’t exceed a certain speed. States that refused to require young drivers to use these cars would lose those federal transportation dollars. The same idea could be used for requiring the banning of cell phones for either teen drivers or for all drivers. Federal money is usually a significant amount, and it is hard for states to refuse this money.

The federal government could also require the automobile industry to have more safety devices on the cars that would be standard equipment. Sensors that sound alarms when drivers get too close to each other would be an example. Automatically correcting a car’s path when a driver is drifting across the center line or into another lane would be another safety device. These requirements would apply throughout the country and wouldn’t require states to approve them.

There are actions that could be taken to help to try to reduce the number of fatalities that occur as a result of young, inexperienced drivers. While these requirements might not be popular because they would make purchasing a car more expensive and would lead to a perception of more federal government meddling in our lives, these actions could help to accomplish the goal of reducing the number of teen traffic deaths.