June 11--When it comes to teenagers starting to drive, Illinois parents may have less to worry about than families in most other states.
Illinois is the sixth-best state for teen drivers, according to a study released Wednesday by WalletHub.
The personal finance website examined 16 factors related to safety conditions, the economic environment and driving laws.
The factors used to assess safety conditions -- the category given the most weight -- were the number of teen driver fatalities per 100,000 teens, the number of vehicle miles traveled per capita, the quality of roads and the number of teen "under the influence" traffic violations per 100,000 teens.
Illinois did particularly well in areas related to safety conditions and driving laws.
Illinois ranked second, for example, in the lowest number of DUIs per teen population, at just under 2 per 100,000 teens, said WalletHub spokeswoman Jill Gonzalez.
Illinois also got points for taking traffic offenses seriously, she said, noting that Illinois ranked high in the fines for running a red light or speeding.
Factors related to the economic environment, where Illinois was closer to the middle of the pack, included the average cost of car repairs.
The best state for teen drivers was New York, followed by Oregon, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Delaware.
The worst state was South Dakota. Also ranked among the worst for teen drivers were Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Maine and Idaho.
byerak@tribpub.com
