The latest statistics from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for 2008 show that women continue to be safer drivers than men at almost all ages, except in the older age group categories where the gap narrows.  The latest NHTSA fact sheet indicates: “In 2008, the fatal crash involvement rate per 100,000 population was almost 3 times higher for male drivers than for females.  Males accounted for 71 percent of all traffic fatalities…. Among male drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2008, 25 percent had BAC (blood alcohol content) levels of .08g/dL or higher, compared with 13 percent of female drivers.

 

Among female drivers of passenger vehicles (in the United States), 24 percent were unrestrained (not wearing their seat-belts) at the time of the collision, compared with 36 percent of male drivers.”

 

The highest risk group for causing motor vehicle accidents is (no surprise) “teenagers – ages 16 to 19. Teenage boys appear statically to be about twice as likely to cause an accident compared to teenage girls.  Reportedly, accidents caused by teenagers result over 25 billion dollars in damages in the US annually. The first year of driving appears to be the year of highest risk.

 

The problems with teenage drivers are typically attributed to the following. Male drivers and the “need for speed”, male drivers and the need to “show off” to friends, and alcohol and drug use. Other factors may include “texting while driving”, cell phone use, and aggressive response to yellow traffic lights (acceleration rather than stopping), distraction of driver by passengers, tail gating and racing behavior.   Accidents involving teenagers occur mostly in the late afternoon and at night, and typically on Friday and the weekend.

 

There is some evidence that the risk of an accident, particularly a fatal accident, increases with the number of passengers that a teenage driver has in the vehicle. Reportedly, teenage drivers are involved in 14% of fatal accidents while they are only 7% of the driving population.

 

Adding to the fatality risk is problem is an apparent tendency of teenagers to be driving smaller and older (less protective) vehicles.

 

Nobody can make a successful joke about the problems of teenage drivers. The bottom line on this analysis is immaturity. Immaturity is not a criminal or psychiatric issue. It is simply lack of experience and training. A carefree mindset has to be adjusted when it comes to the inherently dangerous business of driving a motor vehicle.

 

Graduated licensing programs, now standard in most developed countries, are by all accounts having a positive impact on accident statistics. The message of these programs is in essence “driving is a privilege, not a right: be careful”. As this message becomes a basic part of the culture (as “don’t smoke” has become in relation to cigarettes) we may eventually see the negative reputation of teenage drivers disappear.