Car Crash Death Rate | The Fatal 5 | No Safety in Numbers

DRIVING | The No. 1 Killer of Teens

The number one cause of death among teenagers is car accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

43% of teenage motor vehicle deaths in 1998 occurred between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am, and occurred on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays 44% of the time. Most often, an accident is more likely to occur if additional passengers are in the car and fatalities are more likely to occur if the driver is speeding and the occupants are not wearing seatbelts. Although drugs and alcohol are important issues, they are not always factors in teen driving accidents. In 2001, 3,608 teen drivers were killed, and an additional 337,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. 16-year-olds are worse drivers than even 17-, 18-, or 19-year olds because many of their crashes involve driver error. Teen drivers are about 4 to 5 times more likely to get into an accident than adult drivers.

Those are the facts. The numbers tell the real story...

Teenagers accounted for 10% of the total population in 2001, but 13% of motor vehicle deaths. Among teenage drivers, 25% of fatally injured male drivers and 14% of fatally injured female drivers in 2001 had blood alcohol concentration levels at or above 0.08%.

In 2001 alone, 8, 137 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes.

Just look at the rate of car crash deaths for 16 - 20 year old drivers compared with any other age group.

Rate of Car Crash Deaths by Age of Driver: 1997

Age of Driver	Deaths per 100,000 Drivers
16-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-69 over 69	61.33 46.35 32.90 26.52 23.32 21.55 20.57 28.08

Source: National Highway Transportation Safety Board

The only way to change these facts is to educate drivers, especially new drivers, about safety and driving responsibly. Teen drivers need to:

• drive cautiously
• never feel overconfident
• use a seat belt
• drive at slower speeds
• never drink and drive.

They need to monitor how many people are in the car.
Those are the simple ways to save lives.

It's important that teen drivers remember "The Fatal Five"

The five mistakes teens most often make leading to car accidents and crash deaths are:

1. Failing to yield
2. Not adjusting to bad weather and darkness
3. Tailgating
4. Speeding
5. Losing self-control, and driving under the influence. Keep these in mind when you drive. Your life may depend on how well you remember them.

Your life (or the life of a friend) may depend on it!

The More the Merrier! Think Again...There's No Safety in Numbers

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that for 16 and 17 year old drivers the greater the number of passengers between the ages of 13 and 29 in the car, the higher the probability of a fatal crash.

Age of Driver	Number of passengers	Increased risk of fatal car crash
16 16 16 17 17 17	1 2 3 (or more) 1 2 3 (or more)	39% 86% 182% 8% 58% 207%

Although the study didn't explore just why it's risky for teens to drive with passengers, other research has shown that dangerous driving is strongly associated with the presence of peers.

In recognition of these alarming statistics, in November 1998, Massachusetts created the Graduated Licensing Law. New drivers between the ages of 16 1/2 and 18 who have had a learner's permit for at least six months receive a Junior Operator's License (JOL). For the first six months after getting a JOL, a driver under 18 may not drive with anyone else under 18 in the car (except an immediate family member) unless supervised by a licensed adult over 21 with at least one year driving experience.

Also, the holder of a JOL may not drive between 12 a.m. (midnight) and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. JOL drivers will qualify for a full license only if their junior operator's license has not been suspended or revoked.

There's a price to pay for not driving carefully
The costs can be high--even tragic--for you, your friends and your family.

The potential costs include:

• Loss of life
• Serious, maybe even permanent, injuries
• Loss of your license
• Legal problems and a criminal record
• Big expenses like legal fees, fines and insurance surcharges

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Source:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Teen Files: Issues that Matter. A Hot Topics Newspaper Supplement. William R. Keating, Norfolk District Attorney (2000).