A study on the percentage of young drivers involved in fatal car accidents rated Iowa third highest in the nation, behind only Maine and Delaware.

The study was compiled by the Coalition to End Needless Death on Our Roadways, a traffic safety advocacy group led by physicians and other medical professionals.

According to the study, which analyzed traffic reports from 2005, 19.56 percent of all fatal car accidents in Iowa involved young people between the ages of 16 and 20.

“Youth continue to represent a disproportionately high percentage of traffic deaths in Iowa,” said Dena Gray-Fisher, Iowa Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “While 16 to 24-year-olds represent less than 17 percent of all Iowa licensed drivers, they represented 24 percent of all Iowa traffic fatalities during the 2000-2005 period.”

Although Iowa jumped from being ranked 25th in the nation in 2004 to third in 2005, there was actually a decrease in fatalities during this period.

Gray-Fisher said this anomaly may be attributable to the more dramatic success achieved by other states in connection with new safety measures such as the graduated driver’s license.

The Graduated Driver Licenses program went into effect in Iowa in 1999, and is credited with helping decrease the number of young driver deaths, Gray-Fisher said. However, she also said that Iowa’s GDL program has not been as successful as related programs in other states.

Many other programs have stricter and more comprehensive regulations.

Reducing night driving, restricting passengers, and prohibiting use of cell phones while operating vehicles are all areas where Iowa’s GDL program could be strengthened, Gray-Fisher said.

Many programs and laws are working to keep young drivers safe, but one of the most effective ways to protect drivers of any age continues to be wearing a seat belt.

“Statistics show that the use of a seat belt raises your chance of avoiding death and injury by 50 percent if you are involved in a motor vehicle accident,” said Lu Simpson, occupant protection coordinator for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. “For young drivers as well as experienced drivers, there is every reason to buckle up.”