| As a parent, if you search for any | | | | crashes-the leading cause of death for this |
| information about Teen Driving Statistics you | | | | age group. And although young drivers |
| will find statistics similar to those below. | | | | represent only 6.6% of the nation's licensed |
| I have reviewed various websites to summarize | | | | drivers, they are involved in 14.8% of fatal |
| the information from these sources, however, | | | | crashes. The National Safety Council urges |
| please feel free to search the web for "teen | | | | all parents to familiarize themselves with |
| driving statistics" for more websites and | | | | the risks associated with young, |
| information on this subject. | | | | inexperienced drivers. |
| | | | |
| The information allows us to ponder if teen | | | | Traffic crashes are the number one cause of |
| driving needs to be revisited on a national | | | | death among children and young adults. |
| level. How are teen drivers being educated | | | | |
| by driving schools? Do we need to increase | | | | More than 3,800 young drivers age 15-20 are |
| the amount of time for driver training? How | | | | killed every year in traffic crashes. |
| about requiring higher levels of car driving | | | | |
| education (not just traffic education, but | | | | More than 326,000 young drivers are injured. |
| how do drive a car education)? Should | | | | |
| driver's licenses only be issued at age 18? | | | | Young drivers are involved in fatal traffic |
| What are the economic implications to | | | | crashes at over twice the rate as the rest of |
| increasing the driving age? We will visit | | | | the population. |
| these questions in the next article. For now | | | | |
| we need to understand what is happening on | | | | Exceeding the posted speed limit or driving |
| our roads today. | | | | at an unsafe speed is the most common error |
| | | | in fatal accidents. |
| We know that the current requirements for | | | | |
| driver education are not sufficient. Both | | | | About 30% of crashes killing young drivers |
| commercially and by parents. We can add that | | | | involve alcohol. |
| a younger age teen is not mature enough to | | | | |
| control a vehicle and might as well be | | | | More than 1,000 young drivers lose their |
| considered to be driving a deadly weapon. | | | | lives every year in crashes because of an |
| Teens with permit licenses are driving with | | | | impaired driver... be it themselves, or |
| their parents in an unmarked family vehicle | | | | someone else. |
| only increase the likelihood of accidents. | | | | |
| Using car magnets that are thick, reflective | | | | Sean Mullsteff Teen Driving Foundation |
| for the night and are durable can help reduce | | | | |
| this likelihood. These types of auto safety | | | | The number one cause of death for 15-20 year |
| magnets can be found at Auto Safety Magnets. | | | | olds is car collisions. |
| Identifying these almost 2 million vehicles | | | | |
| on the road should be a requirement on a | | | | This age group makes up 7% of licensed |
| national level. | | | | drivers, but suffers 14% of fatalities and |
| | | | 20% of all reported collisions. |
| As parents we must take the responsibility of | | | | |
| protecting our children. Should you | | | | 53% of teen driver deaths occur on weekends. |
| reconsider your decision the next time your | | | | |
| teen asks to take the car? | | | | Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle |
| | | | collisions had a youth passenger in the |
| The Facts from reliable Sources | | | | automobile 45% of the time. |
| | | | |
| National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | In 2002, The National Center for Statistics |
| Administration | | | | and Analysis reported that 8,278 adolescents |
| | | | (ages 15-20) were involved in fatal crashes. |
| In 2003, 3,657 (3,827 in 2002) drivers 15 to | | | | |
| 20 years old were killed, and an additional | | | | 324,000 teens were injured in collisions in |
| 308,000 (324,000 in 2002) were injured, in | | | | 2002. |
| motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 31 percent of | | | | |
| teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes | | | | 65% of teen passenger deaths occur with a |
| in 2003 had been drinking and 74 percent of | | | | teen driving. |
| this group was not wearing their safety | | | | |
| belts. | | | | Teen lifestyle of staying up late make teen |
| | | | drivers a high risk to have an automobile |
| National Safety Council | | | | collision due to drowsiness. |
| | | | |
| In 2000, 6,495 people between the ages of 15 | | | | More than any age group, teens are likely to |
| and 20 were killed in motor vehicle | | | | be involved in a single vehicle crash. |