GHSA analysed 10 years of fatal crash data (2005–2014) involving teen drivers 15 to 20 years of age from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the purpose of answering the following questions: * How have the characteristics of fatal crashes involving a teen driver changed over this time period? * Are there differences in fatal crash characteristics between young teen drivers (ages 15 to 17) and older teen drivers (18 to 20 years of age)? * Are there differences in crash characteristics between male and female teen drivers? The data revealed that teen driver involvement in fatal crashes fell 48 percent from 7,500 in 2005 to 3,885 in 2014. This, in turn, resulted in a 51 percent decrease in teen driver deaths, as well as declines of 59 and 44 percent, respectively, in teen driver serious and minor injuries. When comparing fatal crashes per 100,000 licensed drivers, the rate for teens fell 44 percent, whereas it fell 27 percent for a comparison group of adult drivers 35 to 40 years of age. The difference in fatal crash rates between these two subsets of drivers has narrowed considerably, from 27.1 per 100,000 drivers in 2005 to 9.5 in 2014 – a 65 percent decline. However, taking into account licensing rates for teens and the adult comparison group, teens are still 1.6 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash. When the teen crash data is segmented by young and older teen drivers, the decline in fatal crashes is larger for younger (56%) than older teens (44%). The fatal crash rates per 100,000 licensed drivers for the two groups also showed better improvement for young versus older teens, at 51 percent and 40 percent, respectively. For both teen driver age groups, the rate is twice as high for males as it for females. A closer examination of the data by age also revealed that 19-year-olds accounted for the greatest number of teen drivers killed during this 10-year period, followed by 20- and 18-year-olds. There is a disparity among young and older teen drivers as to the time of day when fatal crashes occur, with older teens twice as likely as their younger counterparts to be involved in a fatal crash between midnight and 6 a.m. This is likely due to states enacting graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, which ban young teens from late night driving. When it comes to seat belt use, all female teen drivers had seat belt use rates that were an average of 15 percent higher than for all male teen drivers. However, female teens were more likely than male teens to be reported as being distracted at the time of the fatal crash, but less likely than males to be speeding. While most teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were either not tested for alcohol or had no alcohol in their system, nearly 10 percent of the young teens and 20 percent of the older teens involved in fatal crashes had blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of 0.01% or higher. The percentage of males in both the young and older teen driver age groups that had BAC test results of 0.08% (the legal limit for drivers over 21) or higher was roughly double that of their female counterparts. Recognizing the impact GDL has had on reducing crashes involving young teen drivers (overall reductions of 10 to 30 percent), states should expand GDL laws to include all novice drivers under 21 years of age. Currently, New Jersey is the only state where its GDL provisions apply to all new drivers under 21 years of age. Since teens in nearly every state age out of GDL at 18, and many wait to obtain a license until reaching that age or older, it is critical to ensure they receive the lifesaving benefits of this proven countermeasure. Unfortunately, the recent decline in fatal teen crashes may be coming to an end. Data released by NHTSA in August indicate that fatalities in crashes involving teen drivers increased 10 percent in 2015 (overall motor vehicle deaths increased 7.2%), the first uptick since 2006. While this year over year change is concerning and bears monitoring by the states and teen driving advocates, it is too early to suggest that the downward trend line has fully reversed course. Based on the results of this latest data analysis and the 2015 FARS data, GHSA recommends the following: * Expand GDL requirements to include all teens under 21 years of age. * Require all novice drivers to complete driver education and training. * Actively promote the benefits of older teen drivers completing a defensive driving and/or behind-the-wheel program. * Send an early warning letter addressing the impact of engaging in unsafe driving behaviours to an older teen following receipt of his/her first moving violation. * Enact a primary seat belt law that covers all motor vehicle occupants in all seating positions. * Educate parents about the importance of continuing to coach and monitor their older teen (18-20-year-old) drivers. * Partner with colleges to promote safe driving. * Partner with graduating high school peer leaders to help them continue their traffic safety outreach in college. * Partner with law enforcement to conduct high visibility enforcement coupled with high school- and college-based education and earned/paid media. * Capitalize on the popularity of music and sports with teens to disseminate safe driving information/messages. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting