Christiane Martin's List: Teen Driving Project

• A Teenager's Odds 

   
  •  Teenage drivers account for 12.6 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes. 
    
  •  The fatal crash rates among 16- to 19-year-olds is four times that of older drivers. 
    
  •  Risk is the highest at age 16, when the fatal crash rate is 40 percent higher than for 18 year-olds and 30 percent higher than for 19-year-olds.

• The Enemies* 

   
  •  Cell Phones  
     
    •  56 percent of teens said they make and answer phone calls while driving. 
      
    •  Talking on a cell phone can double the likelihood of an accident and can slow a young driver’s reaction time to that of a 70-year-old. 
      
    •  13 percent of teens said they send and respond to text messages while driving. 
     
     
    
  •  Speeding  
     
    •  17 percent of teens said speeding is fun. 
      
    •  55 percent of teens said they exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph. 
      
    •  26 percent of self-identified "aggressive" teen drivers reported speeding by more than 20 mph over the limit. 
      
    •  69 percent of teens who speed said they do so because they want to keep up with traffic. 
     
     
    
  •  Peer Pressure  
     
    •  44 percent of teens said they drive more safely without friends in the car. 
      
    •  67 percent of teens said they have felt unsafe when someone else was driving. 
      
    •  Only 45 percent said they would definitely speak up if someone were driving in a way that scared them. 
      
    •  37 percent said they would ride with one or more friends who speed in the coming year. 
     
     
   

    

  *Statistics on teen views are from a recent Allstate Foundation survey.

• The Allies 

   
  •  Seat Belts  
     
    •  Wearing lap/shoulder belts can reduce the risk of dying in a crash by 45 percent. 
      
    •  Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. 
     
     
    
  •  Curfews  
     
    •  More than 40 percent of teen auto deaths occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. 
      
    •  Almost 60 percent of teens’ night time auto deaths occur before midnight.

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