Teen Drivers Fatalty Crash Statistics
The
fatal crash rate for 16-year-old drivers declined sharply
after states began enacting graduated licensing laws in
the 1990s. Fatal crash involvements based on the population
of 16 year-olds fell 26 percent during 1993-2003. This is
the main finding of a new Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety study.
Licensing
of 16-year-old drivers and fatal crash rates
involving 16-year-old drivers |
|
Percentage
of 16 year-olds licensed |
Fatal
crashes per 100,000 population |
1993 |
42 |
31 |
1994 |
42 |
32 |
1995 |
43 |
35 |
1996 |
41 |
33 |
1997 |
43 |
31 |
1998 |
43 |
29 |
1999 |
37 |
29 |
2000 |
37 |
26 |
2001 |
34 |
24 |
2002 |
32 |
27 |
2003 |
31 |
23 |
|
|
The
overall number of 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes decreased
from 1,084 in 1993 to 938 in 2003, while during the same
period there was an 18 percent increase in the 16-year-old
population.
"This
isn't a study of graduated licensing per se. It's a look
at the status of 16 year-olds in states both with and without
graduated licensing," says Susan Ferguson, Institute
senior vice president for research. "Still, this study
does reveal some very positive effects of the new licensing
systems. The main reason for the decline in the crash rate
is that fewer beginning drivers are getting their licenses
when they turn 16."
While
the population-based ratio of fatal crash involvements declined,
the 2003 rate based on the number of licensed drivers didn't
change compared with the 1993 rate. Seventy-three 16-year-old
drivers per 100,000 license holders were in fatal crashes
in 1993. This compares with 74 per 100,000 in 2003.
"In
time we do expect to see a drop in the fatal crash rates
per licensed 16-year-old driver," Ferguson says. "This
will happen if more states implement stronger restrictions
on night driving and on passengers in cars with beginning
drivers. A number of states don't have these policies, and
states that do often allow one or more passengers or apply
the restrictions during short time periods. These restrictions
are expected to have the strongest influence on fatal crashes
per licensed driver. In the meantime, studies in several
states that have looked at all police-reported crashes,
not just fatal ones, have found significant declines per
licensed driver."
Teenagers
have the highest crash risk of any age group - about four
times higher than for older drivers - and are more likely
than older drivers to be in crashes involving driver error
and speeding.
"The
riskiest time for teens is when they first start driving,"
says Ferguson. "The key to the effectiveness of graduated
licensing is that it phases in a driver's license over time,
keeping teens in the learner phase longer and delaying a
full-privilege license until beginners are older, more mature,
and more experienced."
An
important finding of the new Institute study is that restrictions
on 16 year-olds did not simply shift the crash risk to older
teens. Crash rates dropped 11 percent for 17 year-olds and
6 percent for 18-19 year-olds.
One
of the most dangerous scenarios is when a teenage driver
transports other teens and, on a per capita basis, this
kind of crash declined 39 percent during 1993-2003. Meanwhile,
most other characteristics of 16 year-olds' crashes stayed
the same over time.
Estimated
crash reductions in selected jurisdictions with
graduated licensing |
|
Crash
reduction |
British
Columbia |
Ohio |
California |
0-28% |
Florida |
9% |
Michigan |
29% |
North
Carolina |
23% |
Nova
Scotia |
23-37% |
Ohio |
23% |
|
Note:
The percentage reductions shown for California
are based on three studies, two of which found
crash reductions of 17 and 28 percent. |
|
A
full graduated licensing law has three stages. Beginners
must remain in each of the first two stages for minimum
time periods: supervised learner's period; intermediate
license (after the driver's test is passed) limiting unsupervised
driving in high-risk situations; and then a license with
full privileges available after completing the first two
stages. Key elements of the intermediate stage include limits
on unsupervised driving at night and transporting teenage
passengers. Certification by parents that a learner has
driven a minimum number of supervised hours also is important.
"Parents
are key to the success of graduated licensing," Ferguson
adds. "The laws empower parents to set down their own
rules of the road and enforce them. This is especially needed
because the laws in many states still aren't strong. They
don't all have three stages of a true graduated system,
and some laws that do have the stages still don't restrict
driving at night or with other teens."
(Source: Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety)
|