Teen Drivers at High Risk for Car Accidents

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Across the nation, lawmakers are imposing a variety of restrictions on teen drivers in the hopes of stemming high crash rates. From limiting the hours when teens can be behind the wheel to limiting the number of passengers a young driver may transport, teens are facing a dizzying array of protections courtesy of state legislatures across the country.

In California, for example, drivers under the age of 18 are required to have a provisional driver license for 12 months before they can obtain an unrestricted license. With a provisional license, unless accompanied by an adult, a teenager cannot drive any passengers under the age of 20 or drive between the hours of 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM.

Graduated Licensing, Delayed Licensing, Passenger Bans Save Lives

These restrictions are warranted; teens are more likely to have accidents, but limiting driving privileges helps to curb these accidents. Teens are four times as likely to crash as drivers over 20, according to U.S. News. This is likely due to their relative inexperience at driving coupled with the natural tendency of teens to feel invulnerable to risk.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) documented a seven percent reduction in fatal crash rates by delaying the minimum licensing age from 16 to 16 and a half. IIHS also found that bans on teen driving after 9 p.m. reduce fatal crashes by 18 percent. Passenger bans reduce the death toll by 21 percent.

Driving and Cell Phones a Fatal Mix

Distracted driving is a national epidemic with an intensified effect on teen drivers. Teen drivers are more prone to cell phone use and particularly texting, which too often proves deadly when combined with driving.

According to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, distracted driving results in 2,600 deaths, 333,000 injuries and 1.5 million property damage claims each year. A study by the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in 2006 pointed to cell phones as the most common driver distraction. When a driver uses a cell phone to send a text message, the risk of crashing increases significantly.

It's no wonder, then, that states have acted to take cell phones out of the hands of inexperienced drivers. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers, and another nine ban texting for novice drivers. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have enacted texting bans across the board.

Ultimately, nothing will completely eliminate the disparity between accident rates among teen drivers and more experienced drivers. Driving can be dangerous, and part of the danger comes from a lack of experience — but everyone has to start as an inexperienced driver at some point. However, through appropriate restrictions, lawmakers can help to reduce the risk of accidents for young drivers and others sharing the roads.