Terror on wheels
By: Adam Daifallah
Date: 2000-07-04
This article was originally published April 4, 2000 in the Peterborough Examiner.
Just about everyone who drives has had at least one bad experience on the road.
For me, it was when I was 17. I had just received my full license, and one day, in my infinite wisdom, I ripped off one of the side-view mirrors as I backed out of the garage. When my parents came out hollering and asked what I had done, I embarrassingly replied "if this is the worst thing I'm going to do while a young driver, count your blessings." Although it may have sounded a big smug at the time, a troubling study released in March 2000 confirms my point.
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that young teenage drivers are extremely dangerous on the roads and have horrendous safety records when compared to other age groups.
The findings are from a study by Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health, which found that drivers aged 16 and 17 get into fatal car accidents three times as often when their cars are full of passengers than when they are driving alone.
Although it is probably not entirely surprising to learn that people in this age group get into more accidents, the fact that the rate is three times as high is startling.
The data broke down as follows: the death rate for 16-year-old drivers is about two per one million trips with no passengers, 2.76 with one passenger, 3.69 with two passengers, and 5.61 with three or more passengers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among North American teenagers.
Interestingly, the study found that 30- 59-year-old drivers have decreased death rates when they are in a car with passengers as opposed to when they drive alone.
The reasons for the much higher fatality rates when young people are in full cars are not certain, although the study did find a correlation between all forms of dangerous driving by young people (driving after drinking alcohol or using drugs, speeding, swerving, crossing the center line, purposely skidding, and running a red light) and the presence of peers in the car.
The results of the study demonstrate clearly that this is a problem that must be addressed, and soon. There could be many reasons for the discrepancies between the age groups; among them, general lack of experience on the road for younger drivers, and general stupidity and carelessness.
Although it may be difficult or impossible to prevent the latter, the report does make a recommendation that could curb the former-a system of graduated licensing.
Adopted in some U.S. states already and by the government of Ontario, Canada in 1994, graduated licensing schemes force young drivers to go through different stages of licensing before earning a full drivers license-they must first earn a beginner's permit, followed by an intermediate license and then a full license.
In Ontario, the system is fairly straightforward. After a written test, young drivers can drive a car as long as they are accompanied by an adult with at least five years driving experience.
If they take a driver education course, they are eligible to take a road test after eight months. If they then pass a road test, for the next year they can drive alone as long as they have a blood-alcohol level of zero and have no more people in the car than there are seatbelts at all times. After a year of driving under these rules, young drivers can take a second road test for a full, unrestricted license.
The Ontario experience has been an immense success since its inception, so it's no wonder the Johns Hopkins study recommends adopting a similar program everywhere south of the border.
When it first came out in Ontario, young people were truculently opposed to it because it toughened the licensing process a great deal. But after going through as one of the first people in the first wave of the new graduated system, I'm now glad that I did. The program's successes speak for themselves.
As reported by the Ministry of Transportation, collision rates for young drivers in Ontario are down over 30% since 1994. Alcohol was a factor in 27% fewer collisions.
It is estimated that the cost savings to society after factoring in savings in property damage, emergency response and medical care, lost future earnings, and other factors is approximately $60 million in just 18 months.
Graduated licensing schemes are a great improvement on the old licensing systems-they are saving lives. The statistics in comparison to non-graduated licensing jurisdictions are staggering.
It would make absolute sense to legislate graduated licensing programs everywhere as soon as possible.
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