Oklahoma City ? Traffic accidents involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers decreased after a law went into effect restricting their driving privileges for six months after licensing.

From January through October, 6,925 drivers in that age group had accidents, compared with 7,369 during the same period a year ago, information from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office showed.

The number of deaths dropped from 20 in 2005 to 11 in this period, but incapacitating injuries in wrecks rose to 98 so far this year, compared with 84 in this period in 2005.

In Oklahoma City, the number of traffic tickets written to drivers younger than 18 decreased from 9,422 in 2005 to 8,211 so far this year, according to Oklahoma City’s Municipal Court.

A graduated driver’s license law that went into effect late last year limits the driving privileges of those younger than 18.

For at least the first six months after they get their license, they aren’t allowed to drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless they are going to or from work, school, church or related activities or are with a licensed driver 21 or older. They also are not allowed to drive with more than one passenger unless someone 21 or older is in the car or the passengers are family members.

“Our GDL (graduated driver’s license) has to be viewed as playing a large role in helping reduce the crash rate for teens,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma, which began pushing for the law in 1998.