Best Cars For Teens May Be The Safest, Slowest Cars: Sobering Teen Driver Statistics

Best Cars For Teens May Be The Safest, Slowest Cars: Sobering Teen Driver Statistics

Thinking of buying your son or daughter their first car? Maybe one that matches the lifestyle you lead as a family or the neighborhood you live in? Often times, as parents, we think we are doing our kids a favor by purchasing them the new high-powered luxury car, but the reality is, what we're doing is handing these kids a death sentence.

According to The Center for Disease Control (CDC), "Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. In 2008, nine teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries.Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash."

It isn't that the car itself is unsafe; it's simply that teens are more apt to speed, and speeding in a car that is naturally faster means that guard rail is going to be a heck of a lot closer. Still not convinced? The statistics speak volumes.

CDC reports teens most at risk are:

Males ages 15-19

Teens driving with other teens

Newly licensed teens: crash rates are particularly high during the first year

Factors that increase this risk include:

Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.

Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.

Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2005, 37% were speeding at the time of the crash and 26% had been drinking.,

Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2005, 10% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else.

Giving your son or daughter their first car is certainly an act of celebrating a milestone and one recognizing their new independence. However, some thoughtfulness behind what we buy and an awareness of the demographic for whom we're making these purchases could ultimately be life-saving in the long run. Heck, my own first car was a 1970 VW bus: it was neither glamorous nor fast, but I suffered no accidents and caused little damage, and clearly, speeding was never an issue.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2009). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL:www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. [Cited 2009 Nov 3].

Jonah BA, Dawson NE. Youth and risk: age differences in risky driving, risk perception, and risk utility. Alcohol, Drugs and Driving 1987;3:1329.

Simons-Morton B, Lerner N, Singer J. The observed effects of teenage passengers on the risky driving behavior of teenage drivers. Accident Analysis and Prevention

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dept. of Transportation (US). Traffic safety facts 2008: Speeding. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2000a [cited 2009 Nov 6]. Available from: URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811166.PDF

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior SurveillanceUnited States, 2007 [Online]. (2009). National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (producer). Available from: URL:http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/CategoryQuestions.asp?cat=1&desc=Unintentional Injuries and Violence.* [Cited 2009 Nov 6 ].

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