Young Driver Risk Reduction Course

Why should recently licensed young drivers want to improve their driving skills?

• People age 16 to 20 have the highest traffic-related fatality rate of any age group.

• A 16-year-old driver is 20 times as likely to have a traffic crash as the general population.

• People age 16 to 20 make up only 7 percent of American drivers and drive only 3 percent of all miles driven. Yet they are involved in 14 percent of traffic deaths.

• Traffic crashes are the leading cause of disability and spinal cord injury among youth.

• A 16 year old with three or more passengers faces nearly three times the risk of a fatal wreck as driving alone.

• In 2007, 207 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in Alabama.

• Over the past five years, Alabama crashes involving teen drivers claimed 1170 lives.

• Young drivers are much more likely to engage in dangerous activities-- drinking or using drugs, speeding, swerving, running red lights -- when in the presence of their peers.  The risk of a crash involving a teen driver increases with each additional teen passenger in the vehicle.

• Approximately 25 percent of fatally injured drivers aged 15-20 were intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher at the time of the crash.

• While only 15% of teen drivers' miles occur at night, 40% of their fatal crashes take place during this time.

• In their first year on the road, teens are almost 10 times more likely to be in a crash.

• Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group.  In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups.,

• Six out of 10 drivers ages 16 to 20 who were killed in crashes were unrestrained.

• Text messaging while driving increases the risk of crash involvement by 23 times.

• Late night driving increases crash risk among young drivers for a variety of reasons: the driving task is more difficult in darkness; many newly licensed drivers will have had less driving practice at night than during the day; fatigue - thought to be a problem for teenagers at all times of the day - may be more of a factor at night; and recreational driving that is considered to be high risk, sometimes involving alcohol use, is more likely to take place at night. (Williams, A.F., "Teenage Drivers: Patterns of Risk", Journal of Safety Research 2003; 34:5-15)

• Mastering driving skills in gaining experience in traffic situations requires all the concentration a newly licensed driver can marshal.  Research indicates that the cognitive effects of engaging in a conversation on a cell phone (hand-held or hands-free) can decrease driver awareness and increase driver reaction time.

      One study found it takes as many as 30,000 miles or as long as 7 years to mature as a driver. In other words, the odds are not in favor of young drivers, and in particular those who may not have received any type of formal driver training.