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Revoking or suspending a driver's license is a common
penalty for many traffic infractions, especially those
related to alcohol impaired driving. Unfortunately, many
offenders continue to drive. It is not unusual for
drivers with a suspended license to receive additional
traffic citations or to be involved in crashes when their
license has been suspended.
Laws on driving while alcohol impaired: The
institute evaluated laws pertaining to license
revocation, laws under which it is illegal to drive with
a specified blood-alcohol concentration, laws under which
it is illegal for people younger than 21 to drive with
any level of blood alcohol, and court decisions that
allow police to set up sobriety checkpoints designed to
curb drunk driving.
Licensing laws for young drivers: The institute
examined whether states had graduated licensing laws,
which phase in full driving privileges for teens.
Child restraint-use laws: The institute assessed
laws governing child safety seats and adult seatbelt laws
that apply to older children.
Motorcycle helmet-use laws: By 1980, most states
had abandoned motorcycle helmet laws or severely weakened
them, according to the institute. There are no helmet
laws in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire, and
they don't apply to all riders in 27 other states.
Red-light camera enforcement: This allows police
to take pictures of motorists who run red lights and send
them tickets in the mail. While such programs have
reduced red-light running by about 40% in some states,
not all states allow police to use this program.
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