Should teens ride with teens?
By: Jack Nerad for Driving Today
Date: 2004-05-08
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There appears to be a method to reduce teenage traffic collisions that is going unused. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans support laws limiting the number of teenage passengers who may ride with inexperienced teen drivers, according to a nationwide poll released today by AAA Washington/Inland, yet just half of the states have these lifesaving laws. Crash data show that passenger-restriction laws, an important component of Intermediate Driver Licensing systems, are the most effective way to reduce teen crashes, deaths, and injuries. Sadly, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people 15 to 20 years of age.
If a restriction on teen passengers is an effective tool in limiting teenage crashes, why isn't it being instituted in more states? That's a fair question, and misunderstanding seems to be the key reason.
"There is a current misconception that parents will find the teen passenger restriction law burdensome because parents typically designate the teen as the chauffer to younger siblings," said Janet Ray, AAA Washington/Inland's managing director of corporate communications. "The reality is that most parents are willing to wait a few months longer to ensure the teenager will have the best opportunity to drive safely."
The survey found that most adults (73 percent) think that public officials should do more to improve the safety of drivers ages 15 to 19. Currently 48 states and the District of Columbia have some form of an Intermediate Driver License law. These laws help novice drivers learn to drive by controlling their progression towards full unrestricted driving. However, half the states still do not have the most effective component of an IDL--passenger restrictions. And there are still states that need to add or improve their nighttime driving restrictions and behind the wheel training.
In California, where the first significant teen passenger restrictions took effect in 1999, teen passenger deaths and injuries have dropped by 23 percent. One study showed that inexperienced teens driving with one teen passenger nearly doubled their fatal crash risk; having two or more passengers increased their crash risk five-fold compared with driving alone.
Opinion Research Corporation conducted the national telephone poll December 4 - 7, 2003 for AAA. The survey sampled the opinions of 1,005 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
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