⚫ A new report lists the best and worst states for new drivers
⚫ NJ receives praise for its “strict traffic laws”
⚫ A law that will take effect in 2025 will add an important requirement for new drivers
New Jersey receives some praise in a report on young drivers released Tuesday.
According to WalletHub, a private financial company, New Jersey is the third-best state in the U.S. for teen drivers. Only New York and Oregon rank above the Garden State in the new report.
WalletHub examined 23 metrics to compare the 50 states. The analysis took into account metrics such as teen driver fatalities and drunk driving laws, as well as insurance costs.
The indicators covered three key areas: safety, economic environment and traffic regulations.
RELATED TOPICS: New change could help drunk drivers in New Jersey
WalletHub gives New Jersey credit for its “strict traffic laws” and for having the fifth-most driving schools per capita in the state.
In January, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill requiring young drivers to complete dozens of driving lessons before they can obtain a license.
“That puts it in line with 47 other states across the country, and that’s a huge deal,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Tracy Noble told New Jersey 101.5.
The regulation will not come into force until 2025.
“The cost of driver training is also not too high, as New Jersey has the sixth-lowest auto insurance premiums in the country,” the report continues.
Deaths among teen drivers in New Jersey
While the state ranks 14th nationwide in traffic law and 16th in the economic environment, it ranks 3rd in safety.
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WalletHub found that the Garden State has the seventh-lowest teen driver fatality rate and the third-lowest percentage of teen drivers driving under the influence.
As of Wednesday, 16 drivers under the age of 21 have been killed on New Jersey’s roads in 2024. In 2023, 23 young drivers have been killed in crashes.
“Younger drivers, of course, think this can never happen to them, but it can happen,” Noble said. “Unfortunately, people don’t often change their behavior until there’s a wake-up call in their community.”
Last week, two young passengers died in separate accidents in New Jersey – 16-year-old Sophia Detorres of Hunterdon County and 18-year-old Daniel Haas of Mercer County.
According to the WalletHub report, at least 94% of teens always wear seat belts and New Jersey has the 11th lowest percentage of teens texting while driving.
Montana is ranked as the worst state for drivers in the WalletHub report, followed by Missouri and Wyoming.
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New Jersey schools with the most calls to the police
These are the 30 New Jersey schools that made the most reports to police during the 2022-23 school year for reasons including violence, weapons, vandalism, drugs, and harassment or bullying. When applicable, the number of arrests made by police at the schools is also provided. Schools are listed by number of police calls from least to most. Data comes from the state Department of Education’s annual School Performance Report.
Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5
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