How serious is the problem of motor vehicle-related crashes among teenagers?

• In 1998, 5,606 teenagers died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes.¹ Of those who died, 86% were passenger vehicle occupants, 6% were pedestrians, 3% were motorcyclists, 2% were bicyclists and 3% were in other kinds of vehicles.¹
• Teenagers represented 10% of the U.S. population in 1998 and accounted for 14% of all motor vehicle-related deaths.¹
• Crash risk is particularly high during the first years teenagers are eligible to drive.²
• From 1988 through 1997, the annual number of teenagers who died in motor vehicle crashes declined 21% (Figure).³ Annual deaths reached a low of 5,215 in 1992 and have increased slightly since.
• In 1998, the death rate for male drivers (21 per 100,000) was more than twice that for female teenaged drivers (10 per 100,000).¹
• In 1997, the economic cost of police-reported crashes (fatal and nonfatal) involving drivers aged 15-20 years was about $32 billion.⁴

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety³

Why are teenagers at high risk of death from motor vehicle crashes?

• Research shows that teenagers are more likely than older drivers to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver, and drive after using alcohol or drugs.⁵
• Teenagers are more likely than older drivers to underestimate the dangers in hazardous situations, and they have less experience coping with such situations.

• Nearly 20% of high school students report they rarely or never wear safety belts when riding with someone else.⁶
• Male high school students (23.2%) are more likely than female students (14.5%) to rarely or never wear safety belts.⁶
• Black students (31.3%) are more likely than white students (17.1%) to rarely or never wear safety belts.⁶

• Data analysis shows that at all levels of blood alcohol concentration, the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teenagers and young people than for older people.⁷
• In a 1997 national survey, 37% of high school students reported that in the past 30 days they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.⁶
• In 1998, 21% of the fatally injured drivers aged 15-20 years had blood alcohol concentrations of at least 0.10 grams per deciliter (g/dL).⁴

• Drivers aged 16 and 17 years accumulate 14% of their miles and 39% of their fatal crashes between 9 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.⁸

• Adopt graduated licensing laws.^2,9,10,11
• Until graduated licensing laws are universal, parents can implement their own form of graduated licensing with restrictions and privileges.^9,12
• Promote administrative license revocation that authorizes police to confiscate the licenses of drivers who either fail or refuse to take a chemical test for alcohol.
• Promote primary safety belt laws that allow police to stop vehicles if the occupants are not using safety belts.
• Strictly enforce the zero blood-alcohol tolerance laws for drivers under age 21.
• Evaluate strategies to limit access to alcohol and promote safety belt use among teenagers.
• Evaluate the separate components of graduated licensing systems to determine which ones are most effective.

• Graduated licensing imposes restrictions on new drivers that are systematically lifted as the driver gains experience.
• As of January 2000, 24 states had three-stage graduated license systems (i.e., a minimum supervised learners period; an intermediate license limiting unsupervised driving in high-risk situations; and a full-privilege drivers license).¹³

Highlights of NCIPC-funded research include:

• Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and CDC are studying the effectiveness of parents' influence, either through persuasive communication or driving restrictions, in reducing motor-vehicle crashes among teenagers.
• Researchers at Colorado State University are evaluating interventions to reduce anger among young people while driving. Interventions focus on reducing anger and its expression while driving, minimizing risky and aggressive driving, and reducing the number of crashes.
• Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles are investigating the effects of legislation in California that restricts the time of day when teens can drive and the age of passengers allowed in a minor driver's vehicle. By comparing the incidence and circumstances associated with crashes of 16- and 17-year-old drivers before and after the law was put into place, they will estimate the effects of the law in reducing crashes and injuries.
• One NCIPC-supported project will result in an interactive driving simulator for driver education and training for teenagers. The simulator will be designed for both novice-driver and advanced-driver training for new automotive technology, adverse weather conditions, and emergency maneuvering. Using high school students, the program will compare advanced simulator training with conventional driver training.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

American Assoc. of Motor Vehicle Administrators

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

References  

1. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 1998 Fatality Facts: Teenagers. Arlington, VA. Sept. 1999. [Online at: www.iihs.org/safety_facts/fatality_facts/teens.htm ]
2. Cerrelli EC. Crash data and rates for age-sex groups of drivers, 1996. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1998. Research note. US DOT.
3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 1997 Fatality Facts: Teenagers. Arlington, VA. Sept. 1998.
4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts 1997: Young Drivers. Washington, DC, 1998.
5. Hingson R, Howland J. Promoting safety in adolescents. In: Millstein SG, Petersen AC, Nightingale EO (Eds.) Promoting the health of adolescents: New directions for the twenty-first century. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. pp. 310-2.
6. CDC. 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) Summary. (1998, Dec. 23 last update). [Online at: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/natsum97/suun97.htm]
7. Mayhew DR, Donelson AC, Beirness DJ, Simpson HM. Youth, alcohol and relative risk of crash involvement. Accident Analysis and Prevention 1986;18:273-87.
8. Williams AF, Pruesser DF. Night driving restrictions for youthful drivers: A literature review and commentary. Journal of Public Health Policy 1997;18:334-45.
9. CDC. Involvement by young drivers in fatal motor-vehicle crashes United States, 1988-1995. MMWR 1996;45(48):1049-53.
10. Rosenberg M, Martinez R. Graduated licensure: A win-win proposition for teen drivers and parents. Pediatrics 1996;98(5):959-60.
11. American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement: The Teenage Driver. Pediatrics 1996:98(5): 987-990.
12. National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances (NCUTLO). (1999, January 5 last update). Graduated driver licensing model law: approved Oct. 24, 1996, by NCUTLO Membership [Homepage of NCUTLO, online at: http://206.69.91.162/gradlaw2.html [1999, March 30]. | Funding | Contact Us

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