Teenage drivers: patterns of risk

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Abstract

Problem: To determine patterns of risk among teenage drivers. Method: Review and synthesis of the literature. Results: On most measures, crash rates during the teenage years are higher than at any other age, for both males and females. Risk among teenagers varies greatly by driving situation; it is particularly low in some situations (e.g., the learner period) and particularly high in others (e.g., right after licensure, late at night, with passengers present). In some of these high-risk driving situations, risk is elevated for drivers of all ages (e.g., late night driving), in others risk is elevated more for teens than adults (e.g., driving after consuming alcohol), and in others the risk is unique to teen drivers (e.g., having passengers). Impact on Research, Practice, and Policy: These varying patterns of risk form the basis for graduated licensing systems, which are designed to promote low-risk and discourage high-risk driving.

Introduction

The elevated crash risk of teenage drivers is well known. In this article, the overall crash risk of teenage drivers in comparison with older drivers will be described, taking gender differences into account. The patterns of driving risk for teenagers will also be indicated, emphasizing the times and driving situations associated with especially high risk. These will be sorted into situations in which risk is elevated for drivers of all ages, situations in which risk is elevated more for teenagers than for older drivers, and risk situations unique to teenagers. Teen drivers ages 16–19 are the target group, but 16 and 17-year-olds will be featured because these are the ages that graduated licensing generally encompasses in the United States.

Section snippets

Overall risk

The shape of the distribution of crash rates by age varies, depending on how ages are categorized and what numerators (fatal crashes, all crashes) and denominators (total population of that age, licensed drivers, mileage) are used. For example, because crash rates are highest at the extremes of the age spectrum, crash rate comparisons of younger versus older drivers and younger and older versus other drivers are considerably affected by how drivers are grouped. It makes a big difference whether

Teenage passenger crash rates

The focus of this article is drivers, but many teens also die as passengers in motor vehicles (Williams & Wells, 1995). In 2000, 40% of the deaths of 16- to 19-year-olds traveling in passenger vehicles were sustained by passengers, and for 16-year-olds, there was close to a 50–50 split (54% drivers, 46% passengers). A major contributor to this high death rate is their frequent travel with teenage drivers, a high-risk scenario that will be discussed later. Fig. 7 displays crash rates per 100,000

Nighttime driving

The risk factor that has drawn the most attention in the young driver population is driving late at night. Late-night driving increases crash risk among young drivers for a variety of reasons: the driving task is more difficult in darkness; many newly licensed drivers will have had less driving practice at night than during the day; fatigue—thought to be a problem for teenagers at all times of the day—may be more of a factor at night (National Sleep Foundation, 2000); and recreational driving

Conclusions and impact on research, practice, and policy

Overall, teenagers have crash rates that exceed those of drivers of any age, 16- to 17-year-olds being particularly risky. Yet risk among teenagers varies greatly by driving situations, being particularly low in some situations and particularly high in others. These varying patterns of risk form the basis for graduated licensing systems which are designed to promote low-risk driving and discourage high-risk driving.

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