Parent Talk / March 2007
Teens on Wheels
Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group One in four US crash fatalities involve a 16- to 24-year old. The first six months after getting a license are the most dangerous time for drivers. The risk remains high the first year and is still two to three times higher than adults until young drivers reach age 25.
In a newly released national survey, 5,665 high school students provided new insight into the problem. Teens drive under extremely dangerous conditions-while fatigued, while talking on cell phones, while experiencing strong emotions and while carrying multiple passengers. Many are still not wearing seat belts.
“Research has told us a lot about which teens get into crashes, but we don’t know enough about the why,” says Flaura K. Winston, M.D., Ph.D., co-scientific director and founder of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and principal investigator of the National Teen Driver study. “With this survey, we asked teens directly, ‘What is happening when your peers drive that is making them unsafe?’”
Key findings about the teen experience in cars revealed that 75 percent of teens see their peers driving while fatigued. Passenger behavior that distracted the driver had been observed by 90 percent of them. But perhaps the most disturbing response was that 20 percent of 11th graders reported being the driver in a crash in the past year.
Although most parents are convinced teens pay no attention to what they say or do, the survey revealed the important role that teens see for their parents. Over 65 percent said they cared about their parents’ opinion on cell phone use while driving. Over 55 percent of them relied on their parents to learn how to drive. And, almost 40 percent of their parents provide total financial responsibility for their driving.
“Teens described a driving environment that would be challenging even to experienced drivers,” says Dr. Winston. “Combine the driving environment with lack of training and inexperience and it’s a deadly mix.”
In 2005, almost 7,500 15-to 20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The fatality rate for drivers aged 16 to 19 years, based on miles driven, is four times that of drivers aged 25 to 69 years.
The National Teen Driver Survey, released by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia® and State Farm®, represents 10.6 million 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students in all public high schools in the United States. It is the first phase of a multidisciplinary initiative of research, education and programmatic interventions dedicated to taking research results and translating them into nationwide action to save teen’s lives.
To see more about the latest research and recommendations on safe driving for teens, visit www.chop.edu/youngdrivers and www.statefarm.com.
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