The effect of teenage passengers on the fatal crash risk of teenage drivers

Preusser, David F.; Ferguson, Susan A.; Williams, Allan F.

doi:10.1016/s0001-4575(97)00081-x

Cited by 184 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies have indicated that crash risk of teenage drivers increased with the number of passengers. 26,27 The importance of supervisor age is underscored by data from Chen et al, 27 who found the highest case-fatality rates of 16-year-old drivers in crashes when passengers aged 20 to 29 years were present. This might be related to the fact that older passengers may legally buy alcohol and (illegally) provide it to underage drinkers, although Rice et al 28 indicated that the presence of adults aged 20 to 29 was associated with severe or fatal injury among 16-and 17-year-old drivers even when alcohol use was controlled for.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Fatal Crashes of 16-Year-Old Drivers: A National Evaluation

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

CONTEXT. Implementation of graduated driver licensing programs is associated with reductions in crash rates of young drivers, but graduated driver licensing programs vary in their components. The impact of programs with different components is unknown.OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to determine which graduated driver licensing programs are associated with the greatest reductions in fatal motor vehicle crashes involving 16-year-old drivers.METHODS. We conducted a retrospective study of all 16-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes in the United States from 1994 through 2004 using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the US Census Bureau. We measured incidence rate ratios of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving 16-year-old drivers according to graduated driver licensing programs, adjusted for state and year.RESULTS. Compared with state quarters with no graduated driver licensing program components, reductions of 16% to 21% in fatal crash involvement rates of 16-year-old drivers occurred with programs that included Ն3-month mandatory waiting period, nighttime driving restriction, and either Ն30 hours of supervised driving or passenger restriction. Reductions of 18% to 21% occurred in state quarters with programs that included Ն5 of the 7 components examined. Drivers aged 20 to 24 or 25 to 29 years did not experience significant reductions.CONCLUSION. Comprehensive graduated driver licensing programs are associated with reductions of ϳ20% in 16-year-old drivers' fatal crash involvement rates. The greatest benefit seems to be associated with programs that include age requirements and Ն3 months of waiting before the intermediate stage, nighttime driving restriction, and either Ն30 hours of supervised driving or passenger restriction. Evaluations of GDL programs comparing rates before and after GDL implementation in individual states have reported reductions in crash rates of novice drivers that ranged from 11% to 32%. 2-10 However, previous evaluations have not taken advantage of the unique environment of the United States that makes it possible to compare programs among states, with attention to their specific components. Recently, Dee et al 11 reported a 6% reduction nationally in crash fatalities of 15-to 17-yearolds associated with GDL programs. The greatest reductions (19%) were in states with programs ranked "good" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety using a system based on the presence and strength of components considered as desirable. 11,12 The type of analysis used by Dee et al 11 does not make it possible to compare programs with different combinations of program components.State GDL programs differ with respect to which components are included and in the specific requirements of each component, such as the required number of hours of supervised driving. Evaluation of the separate components of GDL is not possible, because in most states, several components have been introduced or changed simultaneously, making it impossible to separate their effects. Therefor...

show abstract

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Fatal Crashes of 16-Year-Old Drivers: A National Evaluation

2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In keeping with methodology defined by Preusser, et al, drivers were considered "at-fault" if they drove vehicles involved in single vehicle crashes or if the driver's behavior, as recorded in FARS dataset, including unsafe maneuvers such as swerving in a lane or failing to use a turn signal (i.e., FARS Driver Related Factors #20-68) (9). About fifty-seven percent of all fatal crashes involved a solo vehicle.…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Vehicle Occupancy and Crash Risk

Geyer

Ragland

2005

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study explores the association between vehicle occupancy and a driver's risk of causing a fatal crash, not wearing a seatbelt, and using alcohol. The survey population is the set of drivers represented in the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (years 1992 to 2002). The independent variables are driver age, driver gender, passenger age, passenger gender, and vehicle occupancy. The outcome variables are whether the driver was at fault in causing the fatal crash, whether the driver wore a seatbelt, and whether the driver had been using alcohol. For male teenager drivers, driving with teenage passengers correlated with an increase risk of causing a crash. For all female drivers, and for male drivers over age 40, passenger presence correlated with a reduced risk of causing a fatal crash. Drivers age 15 to 30 were less likely to wear a seatbelt when passengers were present, than when driving solo. Drivers age 50 and above had higher seatbelt use rates when passengers were present. This protective effect of passengers was stronger for male drivers than female drivers, and for male drivers the effect increased by age. Drivers age 15-34 accompanied by passengers were more likely to have consumed alcohol than solo drivers of the same age group. These results offer an interesting perspective for research in the area of driver distraction, and update current knowledge on older drivers and the role of seatbelt and alcohol awareness.

show abstract

“…We defined 16-24 year-old drivers as young drivers/mothers and 25-39 year-old drivers as older drivers/mothers, because several studies have shown that drivers aged under 25 have higher crash rates than older drivers. 32,33 While these age groups are not equal (16-24 year-olds consist of 9 years and 25-39 year-olds consist of 15 years), we used only ratios, rather than absolute numbers, to compare these age groups.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Fatal Crashes Involving An Infantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young females at risk while driving with a small child

Maasalo

Lehtonen

Summala

2017

Accident Analysis & Prevention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Previous research suggests that young mothers with little driving experience are at risk when driving with a small child passenger. In this study we examined the prevalence, characteristics and risk of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving an infant passenger under the age of one among female drivers of different ages. Methods:We used crash data from the US Fatality Analysis Reporting System for 1994-2013. The prevalence of fatal crashes involving infants was examined by age of female drivers and compared to the number of births among mothers of a similar age. The essential characteristics of the crashes were described, and the odds of being at fault were determined for young (16-24-year-olds) and older female drivers (25-39-year-olds) with an infant passenger or with no passengers. Results:The prevalence of fatal crashes involving infant passengers was higher among young female drivers in relation to the number of births among mothers of a similar age than among older females.Young female drivers with an infant passenger were more often at fault than older drivers (aOR=1.83, 95%, CI=1.52, 2.20). Their vehicles were older and smaller and they used proper safety seats for infants less often than the older drivers. In addition, young female drivers with an infant passenger but with no adult passenger in the vehicle were more often at fault than young female drivers with no passengers (aOR=1.27, 95% CI=1.06, 1.51).Both young and older female drivers' crashes involving an infant passenger typically occurred in ordinary driving conditions, but these drivers with infant passengers were more often reported as having fallen asleep or inattentive than those with no passengers. The presence of an adult passenger in addition to an infant passenger lowered female drivers' odds of being at fault, regardless of the driver's age. Conclusions:Young females driving with an infant passenger, probably most often mothers, are at an elevated risk of a fatal crash, especially when they drive alone with an infant. The protective effect of an adult passenger suggests that another adult in the vehicle can assist the driver by taking care of the infant and enabling the driver to focus on driving.

show abstract

The effect of teenage passengers on the fatal crash risk of teenage drivers

Cited by 184 publications

References 8 publications

Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Fatal Crashes of 16-Year-Old Drivers: A National Evaluation

Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Fatal Crashes of 16-Year-Old Drivers: A National Evaluation

Vehicle Occupancy and Crash Risk

Young females at risk while driving with a small child

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About