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Vehicle crashes involving teens show safety trends
February 28, 2005
USA Today examined fatal crashes involving 16 to 19 year old drivers in 2003. After reviewing the 3,500 teenage deaths because of vehicle accidents in the United States for 2003 alone, certain patterns emerged indicating driving trends among young and inexperienced vehicle operators.
The number of teenagers that die in vehicle accidents exceeds the number of deaths caused by any disease or injury in that age group. Although many experts have acknowledged the high death toll, some people question why state legislators fail to tighten laws that would help reduce the fatalities.
Over two-thirds of all fatal single-vehicle crashes involved teenagers driving at nighttime or at least one passenger between the ages of 16 to 19. Males accounted for nearly 75 percent of the vehicle crashes. Sixteen-year-old drivers, the most inexperienced drivers, were the riskiest teenage drivers, with a rate of involvement in fatal crashes nearly five times that of drivers ages 20 and older, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Statistics show compared to 17, 18 or 19 year olds, 16-year-old drivers are significantly worse. The National Institutes of Health has new medical research helping explain why younger drivers may be involved in more fatal vehicle crashes. The part of the brain that allows the ability to fully weigh risks and control impulsive behavior, according to the research, does not completely develop until around the age of 25.
An average day in the U.S. will result in ten fatal, teenage driven vehicles, and despite clear indication that restricted driving at 16 has positive effects on the death toll, no major rules have changed. With a record number of teenagers eligible to drive by the end of the decade, safety experts acknowledge the high teenage death rate is merely accepted instead of challenged. Compared to the 16.2 million teenagers eligible to drive in 2000, by the end of this decade, a record 17.5 million teens will be eligible to drive, likely resulting in increased number of deaths if laws remain the same.
Risk of fatal crashes increase when a 16-year old is driving because they are the youngest and inexperienced drivers. When the 16-year old drivers had one or more teenage passengers riding in their vehicle, 40 percent of the deadly single-vehicle crashes in 2003 included this combination of occupants. In 77 percent of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers, driver error was to blame compared to less than 60 percent in crashes with drivers 20 and older.
When teenage drivers are operating the vehicles after dark, they are three times as likely as drivers 20 years of age and older to be involved in fatal crashes between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to the institute. Combined with the risk of being involved in a vehicle crash, teenagers are often driving small cars, which are more vulnerable to greater damage if hit by larger vehicles, or SUVs, which carry the risk of SUV rollover.
Even though nearly all states have some type of "graduated licensing" programs, which limit driving privileges for new teenage drivers, the institute and some safety experts say they are poorly enforced and contain many loopholes, which do not allow them to be as effective. Still, teen fatalities, according to a new report by the insurance institute, have declined in states with the programs. Some states restrict when teenagers can drive or whom they are allowed to carry in their vehicles.
Though vehicle accidents taking the lives of America's youths are often viewed as "freak accidents," beyond anyone's control, if really looking at the facts and figures, there are trends that outline the deadliest risk factors.For more information on teens and vehicle crashes, contact us to confer with an auto crash attorney.
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