Fatal Crash Risk for Teens with Passengers Rising

Are teens safer on the road today than they were ten years ago? Yes and no, say researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). While the number of crash deaths have dropped dramatically for young drivers, teen passenger risk has increased over the past decade.  

The TTI analysis looked at ten years of national data on fatal crashes in which teen passengers (age 13-17) were present at the time of the crash. Researchers then compared patterns for these novice drivers with those of young adult drivers (age 18-24) to develop a “relative risk index” to illustrate the greater danger faced by the youngest drivers as compared to those with a few years of driving experience.

The relative risk for novice drivers with one teen passenger increased over the past decade from 3.7 to 5.1, meaning that in 2011 those drivers in fatal crashes were just over five times more likely to have had a young passenger than were young adult drivers. For novice drivers carrying two or more passengers in 2011, the teen passenger/fatal crash connection was 7.7 times more likely, up from 5.9 in 2002, an increase of about 30%.  

Researchers did not explore reasons behind the trend. However, the study points out that the 10-year period of analysis essentially mirrors the time when text messaging grew from an occasional activity to a practice that now largely defines youth culture. A 2013 Governors Highway Safety Association report discussing teens and speeding also noted that the unsafe behavior is more prevalent in the presence of other teen passengers. When three or more teen passengers are in a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old male, almost three-quarters of their fatal crashes are speeding-related. 

So what’s the take-away for parents? Recognize the risk that teen passengers pose for novice drivers and establish and enforce a passenger restriction. While the risk of a teen crashing is three times that of all other drivers, the addition of just one passenger increases the odds even more. Add two or more passengers, and the teen driver’s crash risk goes through the roof. 

That’s why passenger restrictions are a key provision of graduated driver licensing. In New Jersey, a newly licensed teen (a probationary driver) is allowed to transport only one passenger unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle. That restriction applies whether the passenger is a sibling or a friend.   Even though it may inconvenience you and/or your teen, holding the line on that provision throughout the first-year of driving is critical.