Secretary of State Jesse White is crediting Illinois' tougher teen driving laws for a drop in the number of teens who died in car wrecks.

According to White, the number teen driving fatalities totaled 92 last year, down from 155 in 2007.

In a statement released Wednesday, White said a law which mandate that teens spend more time behind the wheel with parents before they are allowed to drive alone is working as intended.

The law, which went into effect last year, was sparked in part by 15 teen driving fatalities in Tazewell County in 2005. That year, there were 179 teens between the ages of 16 and 19 killed in traffic accidents. In 2006, there were 151 teen driving fatalities.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.