Editorial: Action needed to limit teen driving deaths

Massachusetts’ Child Fatality Review Program says more action is needed to curb teen driving deaths after National Teen Driver Safety Week. In its fiscal 2025 annual report, the program examined motor-vehicle deaths of teens aged 15 to 17. From 2018 to 2023, 41 teens in Massachusetts died as occupants in crashes, with 12 deaths in 2023—the highest in six years. Seventeen of 23 teens who died while driving held Junior Operator Licenses, and another eight died as passengers in vehicles driven by someone with a JOL. The report notes that existing rules already restrict passengers, nighttime driving, and electronic device use for under-18 JOL holders, but argues prevention opportunities remain in classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction. It highlights risk factors including nighttime driving, speeding, low seat-belt use, and inexperience, while calling for broader transportation alternatives for teens.