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Nearly
9 out of 10 teens describe themselves as safe drivers,
yet teens often engage in risky behaviors that lead
to crashes. Teen crash statistics reveal clear patterns
of risky driving behavior.
- Driver
Error: Teen drivers
lack the experience to quickly assess a situation
and react appropriately. Eighty-one percent of fatal
crashes involving 16 year olds are due to driver
error, and 39 percent of these crashes involve only
one vehicle.
- Speeding:
Speeding is the most violated traffic law
for all drivers. However, teens are more likely
than older drivers to speed and they have a higher
involvement in crashes in which speed is a factor.
- Distractions:
Distracted driving is responsible for over 25 of
all crashes and is especially dangerous for teen
drivers. Cell phones, CD players, passengers, and
other in-vehicle distractions can divert teens'
attention from driving and increase their risk of
a crash.
- Passengers:
Teen drivers are more likely to be involved in a
crash when there are other teens in the car, and
this risk increases with each additional passenger.
- Night
Driving: Driving at night reduces visibility
and can distort depth and distance perception. Nearly
half of teen crash fatalities occur between 9 p.m.
and 6 a.m. and more than half of fatal teen crashes
occur on weekend nights.
- Drowsy
Driving: Drowsiness or fatigue can cause
lapses in attention and delayed response times at
critical moments while driving. Fatigue is a principle
cause in at least 100,000 police-reported traffic
crashes each year, killing more than 1,500 Americans
and injuring another 71,000. Drivers under the age
of 25 are especially vulnerable to drowsy driving
and account for more than one-half of all fall-asleep
crashes.
- Alcohol
& Drug Use: Teens who get behind the
wheel after drinking or using drugs are less likely
to wear their seat belts and more likely to take
risks. Each year, about one-quarter of 15 to 20
year old drivers who are killed in crashes are impaired.
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Low Seat Belt Use: Two-thirds of
teens killed in traffic crashes are not buckled
up. When used properly, lap/shoulder belts reduce
the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and the risk
of moderate to critical injury by 50 percent.
- Work
Zones: For teen drivers, work zones can
cause confusion and result in hazardous driving,
putting themselves and work zone personnel at risk.
Every three days a teen is killed and seven are
injured in a work zone crash.
- Rear-End
Collisions: Drivers under the age of 18
have the highest incidence of rear-end collisions
due to excessive speed and failure to allow enough
time and distance for a complete stop.
- Rollover
Crashes: About a third of all 16-year-old
drivers and a quarter of 17 to 19 year-old drivers
involved in fatal crashes rolled their vehicles.
Rollovers occur when a driver overcorrects and runs
off the road. Inexperienced teens are most likely
to do so. Teens should drive vehicles least likely
to roll and ones that offer the most protection
when they crash.
Young drivers
tend to be immature and impulsive, overestimating
their own physical and driving abilities and underestimating
dangers in the driving environment. This leads them
to risky driving behaviors such as speeding, passing
inappropriately, following too closely, and driving
without wearing seat belts. In addition, teens often
drive older cars that are not equipped with the most
recent safety features and are not well-maintained.
They also drive SUVs that are more prone to roll over.
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