Teen Drivers and Risk

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Teen Drivers and Risk
Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D. Chief, Injury Prevention
Research Office of Behavioral Safety
Research National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration

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Crashes per Million Miles, by Driver Age
(2001-2002 GES data IIHS, 2006)
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How interested are you in getting your license
just as soon as you can?

• (Ages 15 and Younger)
• Very 76
  
• Somewhat 18
• Slightly 5
• Not At All 1

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(Ages 15 and Younger)
89 agree 71 agree 62 agree
Having my own car is very important to
me Teenagers who have their own car have more
fun People treat you more like an adult when
you have a drivers license
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Percent Who Drive 50 Miles Or More Per Week
No License or Permit
1 Learners Permit
5 Licensed 44
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Fatal Crash Involvement per 100 Million Miles,
Day vs. Night
(IIHS, 2001-2002)
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Alcohol Involvement Among Drivers Age 15-20
Involved in Fatal Crashes, 2004
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Crash Risk and Passengers
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Passengers increase teen crash rates (NASS/GES
and NPTS data, IIHS, 2006)
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Intoxication Rates Among Young Drivers Fatally
Injured in Traffic Crashes by Age
FARS, 2004
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Crash Risk by Age and BAC(FARS 1987-99,
N192,282)
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Why are Teens at Risk?
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High Crash Rates Overall

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

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Drivers 15-20 Years Old Involved in Fatal Crashes
by Previous Driving Record and License Status,
2004
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Passenger Vehicle Occupants Killed, by Age and
Restraint Use, 2004
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Graduated Drivers License
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Graduated Driver Licensing

• Three stages
• Learners Permit
• Intermediate (Provisional) License
• Full (Unrestricted) License
• To date, 45 states plus DC and Puerto Rico have
  3-stage GDL systems.  However, no state has
  enacted all model components recommended by NHTSA.

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How Effective is GDL?
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How is GDL Effective?

• Expanding the learning process
• Reducing risk exposure
• Improving driving proficiency
• Enhancing motivation for self-driving

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Common GDL Restrictions

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

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Current 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)

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Driver Education Effectiveness

• Many well-designed and executed evaluations of
  driver education programs have failed to find any
  safety benefits including instruction in
• High speed and skid control maneuvering
• Use of driving simulators
• Risk or hazard perception

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GDL/Driver Education

• It is believed that a multi-stage, carefully
  designed driver training program integrated with
  GDL may lead to lasting behavior change and
  reduced crash involvement.

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What NHTSA is Doing

• Feasibility study
• Review of driver education programs
• Joint review with Department of Education
• Expert panel
• GDL component evaluations

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Feasibility Study

• Evaluating driver education
• Research design issues
• Appropriate outcome measures
• Realistic expectations

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Review of Driver Education in the United States

• Content of driver education courses
• Private versus public
• Instructor training and certification

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Joint Review with DOE

• Document current knowledge of
• Instructional tools
• Training methods
• Curricula
• Identify research and promising approaches
• Convene expert panel
• Driver education sequencing
• Driver education combined with GDL

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Where we want to go GDL that includes Driver
Education

• Driver Education prior to or during supervised
  driving phase of GDL
• Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) distributed
  learning and progression from simple to complex
  skills
• Common components structured training,
  supervision, night curfew, passenger
  restrictions, zero tolerance
• Phases (Waller, 2003)
• Initial experience in low risk (supervision)
• Extended supervised practice
• Gradual move to more complex conditions
• Harsher penalties for deliberate risk taking

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Teen Driver Research Projects

• NHTSA Projects in specific states
• Oregon Evaluation of Oregons GDL Program
• Texas Evaluation of Parent-Taught Driver
  Education
• Wisconsin and Tennessee Evaluation of Safety
  Belt Restrictions as a Component of GDL
• Massachusetts PC-Based Risk Awareness Training
• Georgia Evaluation of Georgias TADRA Act
• Michigan Evaluation of Michigans GDL Program

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Teen Driver Research Projects

• Multi-State GDL Evaluations
• Evaluation of Passenger Restrictions as a
  Component of GDL
• National GDL Evaluation

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Teen Driver Research Projects

• Driver Education Research
• Evaluation of Drivers Edge An Advanced Driver
  Education Program
• Process Evaluation of Driver Education in the
  United States
• Feasibility Study on Evaluating Driver Education
• Next Generation of Driver Education

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Joint Review with Department of Education

• Identify Driver Education Programs
• Document current knowledge of
• Instructional tools
• Training methods
• Curricula
• Identify research and promising approaches
• Convene expert panel
• Driver education sequencing
• Driver education combined with GDL

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Resources

• Countermeasures that work
• http//www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/airbags/Cou
  ntermeasures/index.htm
• 2006 Legislative Fact Sheet on GDL
• http//www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Rul
  emaking/Articles/Associated20Files/0120Grad20Dr
  iv20Lic.pdf
• 2004 Young Driver Fact Sheet
• http//www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/ncsa/TSF20
  04/809918.pdf

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Contact Information

• Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D.
• linda.cosgrove_at_nhtsa.dot.gov