MAGNITUDE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOUNG DRIVER CRASH PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES

Motor vehicle crshes involving young, beginning drivers are a worldwide problem with common characteristics In the United States, 16-19-year-old drivers have a crash risk per mile four times that of older drivers. The crash risk of 16-year-old is particularly high, and 16-year-old females have more crashes per mile than 16-year-old males. Passenger deaths represent about 40 percent of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths of 16-19-year-olds; two-thirds of these deaths occurring in vehicles driven by other teenagers. About 20 percent of the driving of 16-19-year-olds takes place at night (9 p.m.-5:59 a.m.), but almost half of their fatal crashes occur during these hours. Compared with older drivers, 16-19-year-olds are most likely to be in single vehicle crashes, to make driving errors that contribute to the crash, to be going to fast, to have high passenger occupancy rates, and they are less likely to have positive blood alcohol concentrations. The crashes of 16-year-olds are most likely to feature these characteristics.

• Corporate Authors:

  Youth Enhancement Service

  Brain Information Service, UCLA School of Medicine, Box 951746
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90095-1746
• Authors:
  • Williams, A F
• Conference:
  • New to the Road: Reducing the Risks for Young Motorists. Proceedings of the First Annual International Symposium of the Youth Enhancement Service
  • Location: Los Angeles, California
  • Date: 1995-6-8 to 1995-6-11
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 19-25

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Crash injury research; Driver errors; Drivers; Fatalities; Injuries; Motor vehicles; Passengers; Speed; Teenage drivers; Traffic crashes; Traffic speed; Vehicle occupancy
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents
• Old TRIS Terms: Passenger injuries
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00748065
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 29 1998 12:00AM