If your teen driver doesn't want the Keeping Teens Safe decal on their car, share with them some of these staggering statistics. Help them keep in mind that driving is an on-going learning experience and the goal is to make them a much better driver.
Ticket Costs:
- 1-10 mph over the speed limit = 2 points and $95
- 11-15 mph over = 3 points and $110
- 16+ over = 4 points and $113 plus $3 per mph over
- Estimated insurance cost (example): Cost without teen on policy is $900/year. Cost with teen is $1800/year.
- For each ticket your teen receives, it will add about $300 per year to your policy.
According to the most recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study on crash rates by the number of passengers across different driver age groups, crash rates for teens rise significantly as the number of passengers increases.
- In 1999, 16- and 17-year old teens driving with no passengers were involved in 1.6 accidents per 10,000 trips
- The rate rises to 2.3 accidents with one passenger
- 3.3 accidents with two passengers
- And sharply rises to 6.3 accidents with three or more passengers in the car
Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86 percent, three teens by 182 percent, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities in America. Based on miles driven, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. Specific behaviors are associated with the cause of this high fatality rate. Inexperience and immaturity combine with speed, alcohol-related driving, not wearing safety belts, distracted driving (cell phone use, loud music, other teen passengers, etc.), drowsy driving, nighttime driving, and other drug use to contribute to this high percentage of preventable deaths.
Beginning Drivers' Crashes Differ
Teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Per mile traveled, they have the highest involvement rates in crashes, from crashes involving property damage only to those that are fatal. The problem is worst among 16-year-olds, who have the most limited driving experience and an immaturity that often results in risk-taking behind the wheel. The characteristics of 16-year-olds' fatal crashes shed light on the problem:
Percentage of Fatal Crashes by Characteristic, 2004
| Driver Age: | 16 | 17-19 | 20-49 |
| Driver Error: | 78 | 69 | 55 |
| Speeding: | 39 | 33 | 23 |
| Single Vehicle: | 52 | 45 | 39 |
| 3+ Occupants: | 29 | 24 | 18 |
| Drivers Killed with .08+ BAC: | 13 | 25 | 44 |
Sources- FARS, NHTSA 2004
Driver Error:
Compared with crashes of older drivers, those of 16-year-olds more often involve driver error.
Speeding:
16-year-old drivers have a higher rate of crashes in which excessive speed is a factor.
Single-vehicle Crashes:
More of 16-year-olds' fatal crashes involve only the teen's vehicle. Typically these are high-speed crashes in which the driver lost control.
Passengers:
16-year-olds' fatal crashes are more likely to occur when other teenagers are in the car. The risk increases with every additional passenger.
Night Driving:
This is a high-risk activity for beginners. Per mile driven, the nighttime fatal crash rate for 16-yeaer-olds is about twice as high as during the day.
Low Belt Use:
Teenagers generally are less likely than adults to use safety belts.
"Her name is Emily. She was 16 years old, and lots of wonderful things were going to happen in her life," laments Charrise Hubbard, Emily's mother. Emily died in a single-vehicle crash less than a year after getting her license. It was still daylight as Emily was driving herself to a birthday party at the pool where she was a lifeguard. Just as she was rounding a curve in the road, she drifted onto the shoulder, overcorrected, struck a culvert, and was ejected through the passenger window of her truck.
"I would have sworn Emily was too smart not to have her safety belt on at all times. She was so bright and practical," Charrise says. After all, Emily was president of her class. She belonged to the National Honor Society. She was even on her school's newspaper staff and the powerlifting team. "Sometimes we just assume our kids are doing the things we've worked so hard to teach them."
Charrise adds, "The thought of Emily's last few seconds on earth often haunts me. Was she afraid? Did she feel pain? Did she think of all of us who love her so much? The convenience of having Emily drive and the fun she had driving were short-lived. If we had known the statistics, we would have made her go through a step-by-step process to earn her driving privileges. Anything would be worth having Emily back with us."
Crashes are the leading cause of death among American teens, accounting for more than one third of all deaths of 16- to 18-year-olds.
A significant percentage of young drivers are involved in traffic crashes, and they are twice as likely as adult drivers to be involved in a fatal crash. Sixteen-year-old drivers have crash rates that are three times greater than 17-year-old drivers, five times greater than 18-year-old drivers, and twice the rate of 85-year-old drivers.
Key Facts
- Almost 6,000 drivers 15 to 20 years old are killed and an additional 450,000 are injured every year in motor vehicle crashes. Source: AAP
- 41% of teenage motor vehicle deaths in 2003 occurred between the hours of 9:00 pm and 6:00 am. Source: NHTSA.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 20, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
- 53% of teen deaths occur on weekends. Source: NHTSA.
- Teen drivers in motor vehicle collisions had a teen passenger in the automobile 45% of the time. Source: NHTSA.