The initial months of licensure are especially hazardous for teenage drivers. This study identified factors leading to crashes of 16-year-old drivers during the first few months of licensure. Telephone interviews were conducted with 16 year-olds in Connecticut who were involved in nonfatal crashes during the first 8 months of licensure. Police crash reports also were examined. Crash types and contributing factors were identified. About three-fourths of the teenagers involved in crashes were at fault. The crashes of these at-fault drivers resulted primarily from drivers who ran off the road (39 percent), rear-ended another vehicle (31 percent), or collided with another vehicle that had the right-of-way (20 percent). Three main driver factors contributed about equally to teenage drivers’ crashes: failing to detect another vehicle or traffic control (39 percent), speeding (38 percent), and losing control of the vehicle or sliding (38 percent). Slippery roads also were an important factor (30 percent). Failure to detect another vehicle or traffic control most often involved not looking thoroughly (15 percent of all at-fault drivers), distraction (12 percent), or inattention (7 percent). In about 60 percent of the crashes involving at-fault drivers, there was more than one contributing factor. Male drivers were significantly more likely than female drivers to have been speeding or to have lost control of the vehicle or slid. Female drivers more often failed to detect another vehicle or traffic control. The findings point to a number of potential countermeasures for reducing crashes involving novice teenage drivers. Some crash factors may be reduced through adequate practice driving; most states require parents to certify a minimum amount of supervised driving prior to licensure. In-vehicle monitoring devices may help beginning drivers gain important driving skills sooner than they would otherwise. Electronic stability control has been found to reduce single-vehicle crashes and may reduce the ran-off-road crashes typical of newly licensed teenagers. (Author/publisher)
Abstract