Reducing teen traffic accidents

Driving with a couple of friends in the car can triple a teen’s risk for a fatal crash. That’s the reason behind tough teen driving laws in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Both states put some limits on passengers in the cars of new drivers—and Pennsylvania beefed up its rules in late December. But eye-opening new studies from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia suggest that it takes more to protect young drivers—and the motorists around them—from one of the biggest causes of teen traffic accidents and deaths: The other kids in the car.