Two-thirds killed in teen crashes are other vehicle users and pedestrians

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According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety the majority of people killed in teen driver crashes are people other than the teen driver themselves.

An analysis of ten years of crash data by the AAA, has shown that young novice drivers make up just more than one-third of all the fatalities in crashes in which they are involved.

The other two-thirds of those killed are apparently other vehicle users and pedestrians.

The AAA Minnesota/Iowa branch says the figures provide added support for its efforts to strengthen Iowa’s graduated licensing laws (GDL).

A spokeswoman for the AAA says there is an evident need to focus on the effects teen driver crashes have on others in addition to the teen drivers themselves.

The analysis looked at data between 1995-2004, which showed that crashes involving 15, 16 and 17-year-old drivers claimed the lives of 454 people in Iowa.

Of that number 172 were the teen drivers themselves, but the remaining 282 included 142 passengers of the teen drivers, 115 occupants of other vehicles, 21 non-motorists and 4 others.

A spokesperson, for AAA Minnesota/Iowa, has said the report is a wake-up call for everyone who uses the roadways to get involved by contacting their state legislators, and urging them to strengthen Iowa’s GDL law.

The AAA believes that comprehensive GDL laws are the best way to improve safety for all road users, but also says parents can play an important role in enforcing passenger restrictions.

They say parents should not allow their teen to ride with other teen drivers, nor should they be allowed to transport other teens in the first year of driving, as the risks are just too great.

The AAA has recognized that many parents may feel unhappy about enforcing rules that other parents do not enforce, and they have developed a new parent discussion guide to help parents work as a team in ensuring teens gain driving experience in the safest driving environment possible during that first year.

The Foundation has also released an updated version of one of their popular educational tools for teen drivers, Driver-ZED, an interactive, risk-management DVD.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and in 1997 the AAA aimed to pass GDL laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (the Iowa law was enacted on 1999).

The laws are thought to have saved lives by requiring teens to get more supervised behind-the-wheel driving experience and phased-in driving privileges during low-risk times until a full license is granted.

But not all GDL laws are comprehensive and AAA Minnesota/Iowa is now focused on improving the GDL law by strengthening the nighttime restriction, adding a passenger restriction, and fine-tuning other elements to make the law more comprehensive.

For more information on this program, other teen driver safety tools and how to get involved by contacting your legislator go to http://www.aaa.com/publicaffairs.

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