Driver education needed

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To the Editor:

I think it is a serious mistake not to offer an in-school based driving school for our teenagers. I have a 16-year-old daughter attending our high school, and below are some sobering statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. How much effort was actually made searching for an instructor for this driving course?

1. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds.

2. 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.

3. 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.

4. The number of drivers ages 15 to 20 involved in fatal crashes totaled 5,864 in 2008.

5. In states with Graduated Driver (s) License (GDL) programs there was a 20 percent reduction in fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers.

Paul D. AdlerWest Tisbury