WHY DO TEENS HAVE SUCH A HIGH CRASH RATE?
· Two factors work against young drivers: inexperience behind the wheel and immaturity.2
WHAT FACTORS INCREASE THE RATE OF CRASHES?
· LACK OF EXPERIENCE: Crash rates are highest during the first 1000 miles and 6 months of driving, regardless of the amount of supervised practice driving before a license is received and regardless of age.8
· WEEKENDS: Fifty-four percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday – with Saturday being the deadliest day of the week for teens. 1
· NIGHT DRIVING:
o 42% percent of deaths of teenagers in motor vehicles during 2003 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am.1 Studies show that nighttime driving restrictions typically are associated with crash reductions of 40-60 percent during restricted hours. 2
o Almost two-thirds of all fatal nighttime crashes involving 16 year-olds occur before midnight. 2
· PASSENGERS:
o Teen drivers, ages 16 and 17, driving with even one passenger are one and a half times more likely to be involved in a crash than when driving alone.
o With two teen passengers in the vehicle, the risk more than doubles.
o With three or more teen passengers, it’s three to five times more likely that teens will be involved in a crash than if they were driving alone.5
o When teens drive other teens, they tend to drive faster than other motorists and leave less distance between their vehicles and the vehicles in front of them. They speed more frequently when there are other teens in vehicles, especially males.6
· CELL PHONES: Driver distraction from cell phone use has been documented extensively.7
· TYPE OF VEHICLE: Young drivers are substantially more likely to roll over an SUV in a crash than older drivers, especially if they were in older SUV's. 7
· ALCOHOL: 36% of all teen driving deaths are alcohol related.3
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
· Take an active role in teens’ driving education and set clear driving guidelines to reduce their chances of being in a crash by up to one-third.4
· Be a role model. Studies show that teens model their driving after their parents’ driving practices. So put your cell phone away, obey the traffic laws, don’t tailgate and refuse to drive after drinking.
· Implement your own graduated licensing plan. High school driver education doesn’t lead to lower crash involvement compared with other ways of learning to drive. 2 However the crash rate is reduced from about 10 to 30 percent by implementing a graduated licensing program. 2
References
1 http://www.allstate.com/Community/PageRender.asp?Page=teensafedrivingfacts.html
2 http://www.iihs.org/research/quanda/gdl.html
3 www.roadreadyteens.org - CDC, 2000)
4 www.roadreadyteens.org ; Simpson, H.M. The Evolution and Effectiveness of Graduated Licensing, 17.
5 www.roadreadyteens.org ;Preusser, D.F.; Williams, A.F.; Zador, P.L.; and Blomberg, R.D. 1984. The effect of curfew laws on motor vehicle crashes. Law and Policy 6:115-28.
6 http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/teendrivers - National Institutes of Health and Westat.
7 J. Hedlund et al./ Journal of Safety Research xx (2006) article in press.
8 http://www.nih.giv/news/pr/feb2005/nichd-22.htm
9 The National Safety Council’s Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety
For members: Log in and visit the Parenting Toolbox for a Graduated License Driving Contract that you can use with the new drivers in your family.