Teenage Drivers

Beginning drivers’ crashes differ:
Teen drivers have the highest crash risk per mile traveled of any age group. The problem is worst among 16 year olds, who have the most limited driving experience and an immaturity that often results in risk-taking. Characteristics of fatal crashes of 16-year-old drivers include:

Compared with older drivers’ fatal crashes, those of 16 year-olds more often involve driver error.

Sixteen-year-old drivers have a higher rate of fatal crashes in which excessive speed is a factor.

More of 16 year-olds’ fatal crashes involve only the teen’s vehicle. Typically these are high-speed crashes in which the driver lost control.

Sixteen year-olds’ fatal crashes are more likely to occur when passengers are riding in the vehicle. This risk increases with the addition of every passenger.

Although this is a problem among drivers of all ages, it’s actually less of a problem for 16 year olds. Typically, about 15 percent of fatally injured 16-year-old drivers have blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or more, but alcohol becomes more of a problem in later teen years.

This is a high-risk activity for beginners. Per mile driven, the nighttime fatal crash rate of 16 year olds is about twice as high at night compared with during the day.

16 - 17 year-old driver fatal crash characteristics
Alone vs. with passengers, 2005

	driver alone	1 teen passenger	2 teen passengers	3+ teen passengers
single vehicle	41	45	57	69
speeding	30	31	42	46
driver error	71	75	78	85
0.08+ BAC	10	10	7	11

Teenagers perceive a driver’s license as a ticket to freedom. It’s momentous for parents, too. Though they often are aware of 16 year-olds’ high crash risks, they’re relieved not to have to chauffeur their children around anymore. But the price is steep. Crashes are the leading cause of death among American teens, accounting for more than onethird of all deaths of 16 to 18 year-olds.

An effective way to reduce this toll is to enact graduated licensing, under which driving privileges are phased in to restrict beginners’ initial experience behind the wheel to lower risk situations. The restrictions gradually are lifted, so teenagers are more experienced and mature when they
get their full, unrestricted licenses.

The best graduated licensing systems include a learner’s stage that begins at age 16, lasts 6 months, specifies a minimum amount of supervised driving, limits night driving and teen passengers, and sets alcohol tolerance at zero. Graduated licensing laws have reduced teens’ crash rates in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Almost all U.S. states have such laws, but they aren’t all strong.

What parents of teenagers can do:

With or without a strong graduated licensing law, parents can establish effective rules. In particular:
Don’t rely solely on driver education. High school driver education may be the most convenient way to
learn skills, but it doesn’t produce safer drivers. Poor skills aren’t always to blame. Teenagers’ attitudes and decision-making matter more. Young people tend to rebel, and some teens seek thrills like speeding. Training and education don’t change these tendencies. Peers are influential, but parents have much more influence than typically is credited to them.

Know the law:

Become familiar with restrictions on young drivers. Enforce the rules. To learn about the law in your state, go to Pa. State graduated driver licensing. .

Restrict night driving:

Most young drivers’ nighttime fatal crashes occur from 9 p.m. to midnight, so teens shouldn’t drive much later than 9. The problem isn’t just that such driving requires more skill. Late outings tend to be recreational, and even teens who usually follow the rules can be easily distracted or encouraged to take risks.

Restrict passengers:

Teen passengers in a vehicle can distract a beginning driver and/or lead to greater risktaking. About 6 of every 10 teenage passenger deaths occur in crashes with teen drivers.While night driving with passengers is particularly lethal, many fatal crashes with teen passengers occur during the day. The best policy is to restrict teen passengers, especially multiple teens, all the time.

Supervise practice driving:

Take an active role in helping your teenager learn to drive. Plan a series of practice sessions in a wide variety of situations, including night driving. Give beginners time to work up to challenges like driving in heavy traffic or on the freeway. Supervised practice should be spread over at least 6 months and continue even after a teenager graduates from a learner’s permit to a restricted or full license.

Remember that you’re a role model: New drivers learn a lot by example, so practice safe driving. Teens with crashes and violations often have parents with poor driving records.

Require safety belt use:

Don’t assume that belt use when you’re in the car with your 16 year-old means a belt will be used when your child is driving alone or out with peers. Insist on using belts all the time.
Prohibit driving after drinking. Make it clear that it’s illegal and highly dangerous for a teenager to drive after drinking alcohol or using any other drug. While alcohol isn’t a factor in most fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers, even small amounts of alcohol are impairing for teenagers.

Choose vehicles for safety, not image:

Teenagers should drive vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and offer protection in case they do crash. For example, small cars don’t offer the best protection in a crash. Avoid vehicles with performance images that might encourage speeding. Vehicles with the latest safety technologies, especially side airbags that protect people’s heads and electronic stability control, are the best ones to choose.