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EnCompass®
The AAA Companion |
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July | August 2004
Volume 78 Issue 4
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Commentary
Teen Driving: What we can do
Common sense suggests it and studies have proven it — newly licensed drivers and teenage passengers are a risky, if not dangerous, combination. With peers in the vehicle, teens are more likely to indulge in high-risk driving behaviors, such as speeding, running red lights, not wearing seatbelts and drinking alcohol.
Some telling facts:
- In Colorado, 81% of all teens killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2002 had a teen driver-the national average was 65 percent.
- 77% of 16- to 20-year-olds killed in Colorado motor vehicle crashes in 2002 were not wearing seat belts.
- A study in California showed that inexperienced teen drivers, driving with one teen passenger, nearly doubled their fatal crash risk; having two or more teen passengers increased their crash risk five-fold.
- A national study showed that, with three or more passengers, 16-year-old drivers were 12 times more likely to have a
fatal crash than 30- to
59-year-olds.
In May 2004 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) released a report titled: Graduated Licensing: A Blueprint for North America. Based on the best available research related to motor vehicle crashes and newly licensed drivers, the report reviews licensing systems throughout the U.S. and Canada, makes specific recommendations about the components of an effective state licensing system and concludes with a rating of good, fair, marginal or poor for each of the states.
Colorado falls short
In response to annual increases in teen driver and teen passenger deaths in the state, Colorado enacted a Graduated Drivers License (GDL) system in 1999, albeit with key elements missing. As a result, Colorado received a rating of only fair in the IIHS/TIRF report, largely because it places no restrictions at all on the number of teenage passengers allowed in a vehicle with a newly licensed driver. The only restriction in Colorado is that no more passengers are allowed than seat belts in the vehicle and all passengers must wear seat belts.
The IIHS/TIRF report specifically recommends that states limit teenage passengers to none or one teenage passenger during some or all of the intermediate phase, absent adult supervision.
AAA Colorado believes that restricting the number of teenage passengers in vehicles with newly licensed drivers is a key element of an effective GDL system, ultimately saving countless young lives.
Even though a teenage passenger restriction bill
did not pass in this year's Colorado legislature, AAA Colorado aims to help draft legislation that it hopes will pass in 2005.
To do so, we need your feedback.
Click here to complete the AAA Colorado Poll.
Gas prices
impact habits
In the May/June issue we asked members if gas prices continue to rise, will you change your daily driving habits. 82% of all respondents said yes, while 18% said no.
To estimate your fuel costs for road trips, click here.
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