www.preferredcenter.com Share


 
Why Young Drivers Crash

Car accidents are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds. Provide your teen with guidelines that help eliminate or reduce chances of being in an auto accident.

3 Significant Crash Factors

These are the three most significant risk factors in vehicle crash deaths for passengers ages 8-17:
  • Riding with young drivers (ages 16-19)
  • Riding on high-speed roads
  • Riding without seatbelts

Alcohol Use

Thirty-one percent of drivers ages 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2007 had been drinking some amount of alcohol; 26 percent were alcohol-impaired.

Text Messaging

Texting by teens was the subject of an August 2006 Teens Today survey conducted by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and a January 2007 survey by Nationwide Insurance.

Motorists who use cellphones while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, according to a study of drivers in Perth, Australia, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

  • Teens consider sending text messages their biggest distraction.
  • 37 percent said text messaging was extremely or very distracting.
  • 20 percent are distracted by their emotional states.
  • 19 percent said that having friends in the car was distracting.
  • 19 percent of motorists say they text message while driving.

    Cellphone Laws: Know your state's laws on cellphone use while driving. Click here for a list by state from the Governor's Highway Safety Administration.

    Seatbelt Use

    In 2006, 58 percent of the 2,813 occupants of passenger vehicles ages 16 to 20 who were killed in crashes were not buckled up, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Aministration.

    More Information

    Get more facts about teen drivers and safety from the Insurance Information Institute (III).

Back To Learning Center