Harrisburg Accident Attorney Discusses New Research on Teen Driving from AAA

May 9, 2012 – A new AAA Foundation study shows that there is a strong association between teen driver fatalities and multiple young passengers in the vehicle.

The press release states in part:

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety today released a study showing a strong association between the number and age of passengers present in-vehicle and the risk of a teen driver dying in a traffic crash.

The report, “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” found that the likelihood of a 16- or 17-year-old driver being killed in a crash, per mile driven, increases with each additional young passenger in the vehicle. Compared to driving with no passengers, a 16- or 17-year-old driver’s fatality risk:

Increases 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21 (and no older passengers)
Doubles when carrying two passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)
Quadruples when carrying three or more passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)

Conversely, carrying at least one passenger aged 35 or older cuts a teen driver’s risk of death by 62 percent, and risk of involvement in any police-reported crash by 46 percent, highlighting the protective influence that parents and other adults have in the car.

The study analyzed data on crashes and the number of miles driven by 16- and 17-year-olds to assess the effect on a teen driver’s safety of having passengers in the vehicle. Though widely accepted that passengers pose a risk, recent changes – such as the adoption by most states of varying passenger restrictions for novice teen drivers, and a substantial overall decline in teen traffic fatalities – beg the question of just how significant the risk is.

Despite recent progress, the new report confirms that carrying young passengers (under 21) is still a major risk factor for 16- and 17-year-old drivers. “We know that carrying young passengers is a huge risk, but it’s also a preventable one,” said AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety President and CEO Peter Kissinger. “These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer immediately by refusing to allow them to get in the car with other young people, whether they’re behind the wheel or in the passenger seat.”

The Harrisburg personal injury lawyers with Schmidt Kramer Injury Lawyers can answer any questions you may have if you are injured in Harrisburg, Central Pennsylvania and around the Commonwealth, especially if you or a loved one have been seriously injured due to the intentional, negligence or recklessness of another person, company or organization.

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