Why Teenagers Have More Accidents

A recent study by State Farm Insurance together with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia provides a new perspective on the question of why teenage drivers are more prone than other age groups, to cause motor vehicle collisions.

The conventional wisdom has been that excessive speed is usually the problem. The State Farm Study reviewed over 800 accident reports involving teenage drivers. The conclusion was that about 21% of the accidents resulted from excessive speed, and this is just one of the three main reasons for accidents caused by teenage drivers.

The second specific cause, 20% or so, was a driver’s focus on what was immediately ahead without regard to the big picture. With experience a broader perspective develops, but new drivers typically have not fully developed an ability to anticipate dangers some distance down the road.

Not surprisingly, distraction was identified as a third major cause – about 20% – for accidents caused by teenage drivers. Phones, radios, and social interaction inside and outside the vehicle, all tend to take the focus off the road.

What should be done? The study seems to point to the need for “time behind the wheel”. Driving is an acquired skill. No one is born with a clear instinct regarding how fast a specific vehicle can be driven into a specific type of curve in the road. Any teenage driver going into a curve at excessive speed is not planning to leave the roadway or roll the vehicle. All of this is a matter of judgment based on experience.

It is up to the driving schools, and to parents, to make sure that a young driver has a clear sense of the limits of a certain vehicle’s ability to negotiate road configurations under variable weather conditions. Observing the speed limit is essential, but sometimes travelling within the speed limit will not prevent misfortune, particularly under winter conditions.

There is a need for training and advice on regaining control of a vehicle which has started to loose stability of traction. Panic is sometimes the cause of what might otherwise have been an avoidable accident had the vehicle been brought systematically back under control by a suitably trained driver.

Training for extreme driving conditions, using techniques developed by racing drivers, may provide the confidence to handle a dangerous situation, but may also foster a mistaken sense of invulnerability.

In any case, training will not eliminate immaturity factors – a lengthy list that includes:

· Inadequate control over emotions and impulsive behavior

· Underdeveloped capacity to handle multiple cognitive tasks in quick succession

· Inaccurate assessment of the outcome for risky behavior

· Overconfidence

· Susceptibility to negative peer influence

· Insufficient sleep

Of late we have seen widespread, concerted efforts by governments to address the problems associated with the teenage driver, by way of graduated licensing and prolonged training periods. Has this worked? The answer is “yes”, there is improvement. However, current data still suggests that a teenage driver is anywhere from two to four times more likely than older drivers, to get into an accident.

The Indo-Canadian Voice 12-3-11