DRIVER EDUCATION AND FATAL CRASH INVOLVEMENT OF TEENAGED DRIVERS

Fatal crash involvement of teenagers per licensed drivers and per population in 27 states were related to the proportions who received driver education. Among 16-17 year olds, driver education greatly increased the number of licensed drivers without decreasing the fatal crash involvement per 10,000 licensed drivers. About 80% of the 16-17 year olds who obtained licenses would not be licensed until age 18 or thereafter if there were no driver education in high schools. The net effect is much higher death involvement rates per 10,000 population, on average, in states with greater proportions of 16-17 year olds receiving driver education. At least 2,000 fatal crashes per year that would not otherwise occur are attributed to increased licensure of 16-17 year olds because of driver education. The data indicate that most teenagers would obtain licenses when they are 18-19 years old, irrespective of driver education, and that death involvement rate per 10,000 licensed 18-19 year old drivers was unaffected by either driver education or delayed licensure. /Author/SRIS/

• Corporate Authors:

  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  1005 North Glebe Road
  Arlington, VA  United States  22201
• Authors:
  • Robertson, L S
  • ZADOR, P L
• Publication Date: 1977-10

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 23 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Driver licensing; Driver training; Drivers; Fatalities; High schools; Teenage drivers
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172476
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 14 1978 12:00AM