Why your young driver may be better off in NJ than elsewhere

⚫ A new report ranks the best and worst states for teen drivers

⚫ NJ gets credit for having "strict driving laws"

⚫ A law taking effect in 2025 will add a major requirement for new drivers

New Jersey gets some praise in a report released Tuesday on young drivers.

According to WalletHub, a personal finance company, New Jersey is the third-best state in the nation for teen drivers. Only New York and Oregon top the Garden State in the new report.

WalletHub looked at 23 measures to compare the 50 states. The analysis took into account metrics such as teen driver fatalities and impaired-driving laws, as well as the cost of insurance.

The metrics were spread across three key areas: safety, economic environment, and driving laws.

RELATED: New change could help drunk drivers in New Jersey

WalletHub credits New Jersey for having "strict driving laws," and for recording the fifth-most driving schools per capita.

In January, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that requires young permit holders to undergo dozens of practice hours behind the wheel before being able to receive a license.

"Coming in line with 47 other states across the country, it's a huge deal," Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, told New Jersey 101.5.

The rule doesn't go into effect until 2025.

"The cost of becoming a driver also isn’t too bad, as New Jersey has the sixth-lowest car insurance premiums in the nation," the report adds.

Teen driver fatalities in NJ

While the state ranks 14th nationwide for driving laws and 16th for economic environment, the state comes in at No. 3 for safety.

SEE ALSO: NJ counties with the highest obesity rates

WalletHub finds the Garden State has the seventh-lowest teen driver fatality rate and the third-lowest percentage of teen motorists who drive under the influence of alcohol.

As of Wednesday, 16 drivers under the age of 21 had been killed on New Jersey's roads in 2024. Twenty-three young drivers were killed in accidents in 2023.

"Of course, younger drivers think it can never happen to them, but it can," Noble said. "Unfortunately, until there is some wake-up call in their local community people don't often change behavior."

Over the past week, two young passengers died in separate crashes in New Jersey — Sophia DeTorres, 16, of Hunterdon County, and Daniel Haas, 18, of Mercer County.

According to the WalletHub report, at least 94% of teens always wear a seatbelt, and New Jersey has the 11th-lowest percentage of teenagers who text while behind the wheel.

Montana ranks as the worst state for drivers in the WalletHub report, followed by Missouri and Wyoming.

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