New Study Finds Five Factors Linked to Deaths of Young Drivers

• Deadliest Time:  Among 16 year old drivers, the risk of a fatal crash is about three times higher after 9 p.m. than during daytime.
• Alcohol Factor:  Alcohol involved crashes increase from low rates among 16 year olds to a peak for drivers aged 20 to 24. 
• Lack of Supervision:  Drivers 18 and older are more likely to live outside the family home.  This results in them driving more and having fewer protective constraints on their time and driving.
• Risk Factor:  While 15 to 20 year olds represented 8.4 percent of the U.S. population and 6.3 percent of licensed drivers, they accounted for 13.6 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes.
• Passenger Risk:  Young drivers especially 16 and 17 year olds are responsible for a larger number of passenger injuries and fatalities per crash than more experienced drivers.  More than half of all fatalities occur when there is no adult is in the vehicle.

Nationally in 2003, 6,424 teens between the ages of 15 and 20 years old were killed in motor vehicle crashes (CDC, 2006).  Although 15 to 20 year-olds represented 8.4 percent of the United States population and 6.3 percent of licensed drivers, they accounted for 13.6 percent of drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes and 18 percent of drivers in police-reported crashes (NHTSA, 2005).  The economic cost of crashes involving young drivers amounts to nearly 41 billion dollars a year (NHTSA, 2004).

In 2006, Indiana crash statistics indicated there were 820 fatal crashes resulting in 902 fatalities.  Of those, 209 fatal crashes involved teens between 15 and 20 years old and resulted in 247 fatalities or approximately 25%.  While the 2007 Indiana crash statistics are still provisional and there is an indication of a decrease in total fatalities, the percentage of teen fatalities compared to the number of total fatalities remains virtually unchanged.

Parents should know where their young drivers are going and when they will be home.  Know who their passengers are and above all make sure they BUCKLE UP.  More statistics on Indiana drivers may be found at the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute website at www.in.gov/cji or if you would like to read the complete report by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, please visit the Transportation Research Board website.

Source: Indiana State Police Press Release