Only one-third of people killed in fatal crashes involving teen drivers are the drivers themselves, a new report shows.
The other two-thirds of victims are passengers, drivers and occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
"For every teen driver killed in a crash, almost twice as many other people die, which underscores the link between teen driver safety and the safety of everyone on the road," Robert L. Darbelnet, AAA president and CEO, said in an American Automobile Association news release.
The analysis of U.S. crash data from 1998 to 2007 showed that crashes involving drivers aged 15 to 17 killed 28,138 people. Of those, 10,388 (36.9 percent) were the teen drivers. The other 17,750 (63.1 percent) victims included 8,829 passengers of the teen drivers, 6,858 occupants of other vehicles, and 2,063 non-motorists.
"Young drivers face an array of potentially deadly challenges at the wheel. Parents and teens need to understand the serious responsibility of driving and the risks and consequences involved," Peter Kissinger, AAA Foundation president and CEO said in the news release.
A previous analysis of data from 1995 to 2004 found that crashes involving drivers aged 15 to 17 killed 30,917 people. Of those deaths, 36.2 percent were the teen drivers and 63.6 percent were others. The drop in deaths between this and the most recent analysis suggests that graduated licensing and other efforts to improve teen driver safety are having an effect.
"During the last decade, as states improved their teen licensing systems and AAA has helped parents get more involved, we have seen reductions in teen driver deaths and even larger reductions in the number of other people killed. Clearly, measures put into place to save teen drivers help us all," Darbelnet said.
Parents can play an important role by selecting a quality driving school for their teen, establishing a parent-teen driving agreement, choosing a safe vehicle for their teen, discussing safe driving with their teen, and giving their teen plenty of driving practice time, according to the AAA.
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Safe Teen Driving Week, April 20-25, highlights education efforts designed especially to help teen drivers understand the dangers.
In Pinellas, the topic is especially timely in light of an April 10 accident in Seminole that claimed the lives of four young men ages 15 to 17.
More Teen Driver Fatality Statistics To Know...
- 14% of all deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are teen drivers.
- Most teen driver deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends 53% of the time.
- Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents had a youth passenger in automobile 45% of the time. More facts below.
The video, "Risky Business: Teen Driving in Kansas," has the mission of helping to reduce the number of teen-related crashes and fatalities in the state.
Teen drivers make up just 7 percent of all licensed drivers in Kansas, yet account for 20 percent of the crashes and 13 percent of fatalities, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
For the last 15 years or so, experts urged parents to create for themselves and their teenage drivers, teen driver contracts.
They are agreements between parents and teen driver that explain what to expect when the automobile is driven responsibly and unfortunately, which occurs too often, when the automobile is driven by the teen driver irresponsibly.
Statistics you should know...
- 14% of all deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are a teen driver.
- Most teen driver deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends 53% of the time.
- Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents had a youth passenger in automobile 45% of the time. More facts below.
Fortunately, the rate of motor vehicle accidents among teens 16 - 19 has declined since the early 1980s. Alcohol involvement in automobile crashes is highest among adults 21-40 years old.
However, dig deeper into the numbers. What's going on is not as encouraging as it may seem. Matter-of-fact, sobering reasons to be concern about teen drivers exist.
Teen Scene Driving Academy was created to fill a need for advanced teen driving skills training in the Tampa Bay area. We are heartbroken by the senseless tragedy surrounding so many preventable driving related injuries and deaths.
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