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1. How serious is the teenage motor vehicle crash problem?
In 1999, 5,749 teenagers died in the United States from motor vehicle crash injuries. Such injuries are by far the leading public health problem for young people 13-19 years old. The crash
risk is particularly high during the first years in which teenagers are eligible for driver's licenses. Thirty-eight percent of all deaths of 16-19 year-olds from all causes in 1998 are related to motor vehicles.
back to questions 2. How do teenage crash rates compare with rates among drivers of other ages?
Teenage drivers have very
high rates of both fatal and nonfatal crashes compared with drivers of other ages. This is true whether the rates are based on the total number of teenagers, on the number with licenses, or on miles driven. Both licensure rates and
miles driven per license holder are lower among 16-19 year-olds than among older drivers, so when crash involvement is based on the number of licensed drivers instead of total population, the fatality rate of teenage drivers is
even more extreme compared with older drivers. It is most extreme when crash involvement is based on miles driven. Many teenagers die as passengers in motor vehicles. Sixty-three percent of teenage passenger deaths in
1999 occurred in crashes in which another teenager was driving. Teenagers far exceed all other age groups in terms of per capita deaths as both drivers and passengers, but their passenger fatality rates are much more extreme
compared with those of older drivers. And the youngest drivers have the worst record in terms of passenger deaths. More teenage passenger deaths occur when a 16 year-old is driving than when a person of any other age is at the
wheel. Among teenage drivers, 16 year-olds have by far the highest rates of teenage passenger deaths in their vehicle per licensed driver and per mile driven. A 1999 Highway Loss Data Institute study reports that
insurance injury claim frequencies and overall collision (vehicle damage) losses for cars insured for teenagers to drive are more than double those of cars insured for use by adults only. Collision losses for drivers age 21 and
younger, as for drivers of other ages, are highest for sports and luxury models and lowest for large station wagons and passenger vans. back to questions 3. How do teenage crash rates compare with rates among
elderly drivers?
Although elderly drivers' mileage-based crash rates are as high as teenagers', older drivers have much lower per capita rates.
The fact that relatively few elderly drivers are involved in crashes, despite their high crash risk, is attributable to their lesser exposure. The rate of licensure is lower among the elderly than among younger people, and elderly
people with licenses drive fewer miles, on average, than do younger drivers.
back to questions 4. How do
crashes involving teenagers differ from those of other drivers?
Teenagers not only have higher crash rates than other age groups, their crashes are different. Analyses of fatal crash data indicate that teenage drivers are more likely to be at fault in their crashes. Teenagers' crashes and
violations are more likely to involve speeding than those of older drivers, and teenagers are more likely than drivers of other ages to be in single-vehicle fatal crashes. Plus, teenagers do more of their driving at night, and in
small and older cars compared with adults. About half of teenagers' fatal crashes occur at night, especially weekend nights. And for 16 year-olds, all these problems are heightened. The combination of inexperience
behind the wheel and immaturity produces a pattern of fatal crashes among 16 year-olds that includes the highest percentage of crashes involving speeding, the highest percentage of single-vehicle crashes, the highest percentage of crashes with driver error, and the highest vehicle occupancy. back to questions 5. Why is teenage crash involvement so high?
Immaturity and lack of driving experience are the main reasons. Compared with older drivers,
teenagers as a group are more willing to take risks and less likely to use safety belts. They also are more likely than older drivers to underestimate the dangers associated with hazardous situations and less able to cope with such
dangers. back to questions 6. What requirements do states have for teenagers learning to drive?
Traditionally, states have required
beginning teenage drivers to have very little experience before obtaining licenses that let them drive when and where they want. In 1995, only 30 states required a learner's permit, and only 11 required the permit to be held for a
minimum period, ranging from 14 to 90 days. Today, as graduated licensing programs are being implemented, the picture has changed. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia require the permit to be held for a minimum period, ranging from 10 days to 1 year. Thirty states and the District of Columbia
require permits to be held for at least six months. back to questions 7. Is alcohol an important factor in teenagers' crashes?
Yes.
Young drivers are less likely than adults to drive after drinking, but their crash risk is substantially higher when they do. This is especially true at low and moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and is thought to result
from teenagers' relative inexperience with both drinking and driving. Twenty-three percent of drivers of passenger vehicles ages 16-19 who were fatally injured in 1999 crashes had high BACs (0.10 percent or more), even though every
state has a legal minimum alcohol purchasing age of 21 years old. back to questions
8. What works when it comes to teenagers driving while impaired by alcohol?
Many states raised minimum alcohol purchasing ages from 18 or 19 years old to 21 during the 1980s. All states now have 21-year-old alcohol purchasing age laws, which successfully reduce
alcohol-related crashes among teenagers. However, enforcement is needed to make these laws even more effective. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have zero BAC thresholds for teenage drivers, prompted by federal
legislation that took effect October 1, 1998. Research from states where this policy was implemented earlier indicated a reduction in teenagers' nighttime fatal crashes. back to questions 9. What can be done to reduce teenagers' high crash rates?
The most effective policies limit teenagers'
driving exposure -- for example, night driving and passenger restrictions for beginning drivers and higher ages for initial licensure. General curfews that apply to all late-night activities for 13-17 year-olds also reduce crashes
and crash injuries. Graduated licensing, designed to provide beginning drivers with an opportunity to gain experience behind the wheel under conditions that minimize risk, was originally introduced in New Zealand in 1987. Beginning
with Florida in 1996, the majority of states have now introduced elements of graduated licensing. Evaluations
of graduated licensing systems in New Zealand, Nova Scotia, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan have shown them to reduce crashes substantially. Formal evaluations of U.S. high school driver education programs
indicate little or no effect in reducing crashes per licensed driver. And offering driver education in schools has an unintended negative effect on crash involvement by encouraging early licensure among 16-17 year-olds. The net
result is more crashes per capita among teenagers. Connecticut eliminated high school driver education and lowered teenage crash rates by reducing licensure. Other school-based programs, such as those intended to reduce
alcohol-impaired driving, have not been shown to be effective, at least in the short term.
back to questions
10. Why aren't educational strategies effective with teenage drivers?
High school driver
education programs can successfully teach driving skills, and programs warning against alcohol-impaired driving can impart knowledge about this behavior. However, attitudes seem to be largely unaffected by such programs -- and
attitudes strongly influence how driving skills and knowledge are put to use. Thrill-seeking tendencies associated with immaturity often overwhelm the effects of increased skills and knowledge.
A general problem in
attempting to influence driving behavior is that the teenagers who contribute most to the problems are among the least susceptible to behavior change through education. A number of studies involving mostly young males have noted
the interrelationship among certain personality traits (rebelliousness, risk-taking, independence, defiance of authority), deviant driving practices (speeding, driving while impaired), and crashes and violations. Deviant driving
practices and crash involvement also are related to a syndrome of problem behavior including marijuana use, heavy alcohol use, smoking, and trouble with the law. The traits, values, and peer associations of this high-risk group are
such that changing their behavior through education is a difficult task. back to questions
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