Teen Driver Fatality Risk Rises With Multiple Passengers

The more teens riding in the car, the more likely the teen driver will be killed, a AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety study has found. The AAA Foundation is the educational and research arm of AAA.

The report, “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” reports 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.

When 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, the study reports carrying at least one passenger aged 35 or older cuts a teen driver’s risk of death by 62 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.

“The connection between carrying young passengers and increased fatal crash risk is clear, and placing appropriate limits is a key part of graduated driver licensing in Connecticut,” said AAA spokesperson Fran Mayko. “By limiting the number of passengers that 16- and 17-year-old drivers can have in the car, these policies help ensure that teens stay focused on the road and gain the experience they need to become safe drivers. It’s critical, too, that parents enforce the law and family rules that restrict passengers and help keep their teens safe.”

Families with a young driver seeking a driver permit or a novice driver in the family, the AAA Foundation urges families to consider these steps:

*Know the graduated driver licensing system for Connecticut.

*Sign a parent-teen driving agreement that stipulates teens will not ride as passengers of teen drivers without a parent’s advance permission.

*Provide transportation alternatives for teens who honor that pledge.

*Talk with other parents so they know and enforce the rules.

*Spend time as a passenger when your teen is at the wheel. Your presence and your guidance help make your teen a safer driver.

*Visit www.Teendriving.AAA.com for resources that can help teens become safer drivers, including a parent-teen driving agreement covering safety risks like passengers, cellphone use, and night driving

AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety have longstanding commitments to improving teen driver safety through research and the development of science-based tools and resources. For a copy of the study, visit www.aaafoundation.org.

For additional resources, visit www.TeenDriving.AAA.com.