Carrying Passengers as a Risk Factor for Crashes Fatal to 16- and 17-Year-Old Drivers

TLDR

Teenage drivers and passengers account for the majority of U.S. deaths among 15‑to‑19‑year‑olds, with 16‑year‑olds experiencing fatal crash rates more than seven times that of adults, and graduated licensing systems have been introduced to mitigate this risk. The study aims to identify the circumstances that increase crash risk for teenaged drivers when carrying passengers. The authors examine the impact of graduated licensing systems, which require stepwise licensing and may restrict nighttime driving and passenger carriage, as recommended by the NHTSA.

Abstract

are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States, accounting for 36% of all deaths of persons aged 15 to 19 years. 1 The fatal crash rate per million miles for 16-year-old drivers is more than 7 times the rate for drivers aged 30 to 59 years. 2 Nearly the same number of deaths occur among teenaged passengers as teenaged drivers: in 1993, two thirds of the deaths of passengers aged 13 to 19 years occurred when teenagers were driving. 3In recent years, increased attention has been given to graduated licensing systems.The basic premise of these systems is that beginning drivers need to earn a full license step-by-step.Three stages-a supervised learner's period, an intermediate license, and a full-privilege driver's license-are the central framework for graduated licensing systems.During the learner's period, beginning drivers can drive only under supervision.For the intermediate period, restrictions vary widely by state in the United States and may include restrictions on nighttime driving and carrying passengers. 4raduated licensing systems are recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and en-couraged through an incentive grant program. 5 As of January 2000, 24 states had adopted full graduated licensing systems with all 3 stages.Only 9 of these 24 states included any restrictions related to teenaged drivers carrying passengers. 4lthough past studies 6-8 provided evidence suggesting a relationship between carrying passengers and crash risk for teenaged drivers, they had insufficient information on travel expo-sure patterns, driver characteristics, and passenger attributes.Knowing the circumstances associated with increased risk to teenaged drivers is useful for