One of the big milestones for every teenager is learning to drive, and it is easy to see why. Even with strict rules and restrictions, being able to drive gives them more freedom than they ever had before; they can go almost anywhere they want without having to worry about someone else dropping them off or picking them up. So practically every teen is eager to get driving as soon as they possibly can.
However, with the ability and means to drive comes all of the dangers associated with driving. Those dangers are the same for everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car, but they are more prevalent with teen drivers. It would be unfair to say that all teenage drivers are dangerous, but they are uniquely susceptible to accidents thanks to a combination of inexperience and other factors. You do not have to worry about car accidents caused by teenagers every time you hit the road, but you should be prepared if it happens to you. The best way to be ready is to know all the relevant facts about teen driving.
Fact 1: Car Accidents are the Leading Cause of Death for American Teenagers
This is an unfortunate fact of life in America, but it is true nonetheless. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), there were 3255 teen drivers (age 15 to 19) involved in fatal crashes in 2017, and 2526 teenagers died in those accidents. There are many reasons for the high accident rate for teen drivers, some of which are as follows:
Inexperience - Teen drivers may end up making mistakes during crucial moments because they might not realize the extent of the danger in a risky situation.
Speeding - Some teen drivers exploit their newfound freedom by driving over the speed limit. The dangers of speeding include having less time to react to unexpected situations and more destructive accidents, which is why this practice is so dangerous.
Distracted Driving - This affects many different drivers but teens are among the biggest offenders. About 40% of teens admit that they text or email while driving, but other distractions can come from interacting with teen passengers, eating or drinking, or personal grooming. This is a serious issue because 229 teens died in distraction-related accidents in 2017 alone.
Lack of Seatbelt Use - According to the NHTSA, teenagers are one of the demographic groups least likely to use seat belts. In 2017, fewer than 60% of high school students said that they wore a seat belt when they were a passenger. In that same year, nearly half of the teenagers who died in car accidents were not wearing a seatbelt.
Drunk Driving - This type of behavior is dangerous no matter who engages in it, but the risk of a crash occurring is greater with teens than with older drivers.
Fact 2: Most Accidents Involving Teen Drivers Happen at Night
Research indicates that teen drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a fatal crash during the night than in the day. Of those crashes, 19% happen between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM and 18% happen between 9:00 PM and midnight. There are many reasons why the 6:00 PM to midnight hours are so dangerous for teenagers; one of them is that night driving, in general, is more dangerous because of the lower visibility and the teen drivers' lack of experience exacerbates that danger.
Another reason is that teens are likely to be tired after a day of school, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs. That can make driving more dangerous since they can lose concentration or even drift off to sleep while driving.
Fact 3: Male Teen Drivers are More Careless
On average, male teenage drivers tend to be more aggressive, they tend to speed more, and they are usually involved in accidents on nights and weekends. In general, male teen drivers are twice as likely to get in fatal crashes than female teen drivers. However, female teens have their own set of problems as they are more likely to drive with a restricted license and are more susceptible to distracted driving. That is perhaps why the accident rate for female teens is higher on the weekdays than weekends and why they are more likely to get in an accident at an intersection.
Fact 4: Parents Need to Set a Good Example
Teen drivers pick up a lot of their driving habits from their parents, which makes sense since their parents were likely the ones who were driving them around before they got their license. So if parents set a good example by always buckling up, paying attention to the road, obeying the speed limit, and employing other good driving behaviors, then it is likely that their child will follow suit when they start driving.
Fact 5: The More Teen Passengers, the Greater the Risk
In many cases teenagers are the greatest risk to each other. That is because the chance of an accident for a teen driver steadily increases with the number of teenagers traveling with them. The risk increases to 44% when they travel with a single teenage passenger and no adults, it doubles when they travel with two teen passengers, and quadruples when riding with three or more passengers. By contrast, the risk of a crash decreases by 62% when an adult passenger is present.
Teen Drivers Pose a Greater Risk
When you see all the problems teen drivers can cause, it is easy to understand why their insurance rates are so high. However, it would be unfair to say that teenagers, in general, are a menace on the roads when many older drivers pose a risk as well. Even so, you cannot ignore the dangers teen drivers can cause for everyone else. Fortunately, they are at a malleable age where they can easily pick up good driving habits and discard bad ones. And the best way that can happen is if their parents, and other adults around them, set a good example for them to follow.
