Teen Driving: The National PerspectiveElizabeth A. Baker, Ph.D.

Regional Administrator, NHTSA Region 3

Virginia Distracted Driving Summit

2

Teens Have High Crash Rates Overall

Especially high: During the first few months/miles of driving At night With teenage passengers With alcohol

3

Fatal Crash Involvementper 100 Thousand Licensed Drivers,

Day vs. Night

0

5

10

15

20

25

16-17 18-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+

Cra

sh I

nvol

vem

ent

Age

Night

Day

(FARS and FHWA, 2011)

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

16 17 18 19 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+

Driver age

Cra

sh i

nvo

lvem

ent

per

mil

lio

n m

iles

tra

vell

ed

Crashes per Million Miles, by Driver Age

(2001-2002 GES data; IIHS, 2006)

National Priorities for Making Teen Drivers Safer

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Reducing Teens’ Access to Alcohol Increasing Seat Belt Use Parental Responsibility

5

6

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)

Three-stage GDL laws address immaturity and inexperience, the primary factors contributing to young driver crashes.

As of August, 2013: All States and the District of Columbia have GDL These are typically 3-stage systems with most model

components, although no State has all components of a model system.

Detailed list of licensing requirements by State can be found at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) website:http://www.iihs.org/laws/

7

Common GDL Restrictions

Passenger Restrictions Nighttime Driving Restrictions Safety Belt Requirements Cell Phone Restrictions Zero Tolerance Alcohol Restrictions

8

How is GDL Effective?

Expanding the learning process Reducing risk exposure Delaying full licensure Improving driving proficiency Enhancing motivation for self-driving

Reducing Teens’ Access to Alcohol

Teens are at far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population, despite the fact they cannot legally purchase or publicly possess alcohol in any State. High-visibility enforcement of underage purchase,

possession, and provision laws can: create a significant deterrent for violation of youth access

laws; reduce underage drinking; and decrease alcohol-related crashes.

Additionally, parental responsibility is key to educating and protecting our teens.

9

Increasing Seat Belt Use Teens buckle up far less frequently than

adults do. One of NHTSA’s top priorities is working to

ensure that people of every age buckle up—and this includes a special emphasis on young drivers.

10

11

Parental Involvement

Survey research shows that parental involvement in teen driving can lead to positive outcomes.

What can parents do? Be familiar with State GDL law and its provisions Enforce GDL law and its provisions Limit exposure in risky driving situations above and beyond

GDL law Follow through on supervised driving requirements in State Use technology to aid in monitoring Withdraw driving privileges when appropriate

12

Parental Involvement

ROLE MODEL GOOD BEHAVIOR!

If you drive distracted, unbelted, or impaired—your kids will, too.

13

Driver Education

Traditional Driver Education Requirements 30 hours of classroom instruction

Theory Rules of the road Safe/defensive driving Risk assessment

6-10 hours in-vehicle training (car control)

14

Summary Young drivers have very high rates of involvement in fatal

crashes. GDL laws have been proven to be effective in reducing

these crashes. Reducing teens’ access to alcohol can have a significant

effect on decreasing crash rates. Similarly, increasing teens’ use of seat belts can provide

better outcomes in crashes, drastically reducing fatalities and injuries.

Parental involvement and role modeling are vital to helping teen drivers learn the skills they need to be safe.

The goal of driver education is to teach novice drivers the skills to be safe and competent drivers.

15

THANK YOU

For more information:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers

Elizabeth A. Baker, Ph.D.

Regional Administrator

NHTSA Region 3

Beth.baker@dot.gov