The leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States is car accidents, according to a study published Sept. 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study found mixed success for rules designed to restrict teen drivers.
From 2000 to 2008, more than 23,000 drivers and 14,000 passengers, ages 16 to 19, were killed. The Graduated Driver Licensing system (GDL) was adopted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to prevent such tragedies.
Parents support GDL programs. “I have five kids between the ages of 15 and 28,” said Eileen Stephens of Davie, Fla. “I think kids need time to practice. A lot of times there aren’t alternatives for parents, as there is no public transportation, compared to big cities.”
GDL programs for 16- to 19-year-olds that restrict night driving reduced the incidence of fatal crashes among 16-year-olds. Among 18-year-olds, accidental death rates rose in states with GDL programs, according to the JAMA study.
The GDL system was created to keep inexperienced drivers from driving in risky conditions before they are ready.
Scott V. Masten, PhD., of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, in Sacramento, Calif., conducted the study. The report compared teen accident rates in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia.
Stronger GDL programs had lower fatal crash incidents only for 16-year-old drivers. For 18-year-old drivers, the rate of fatal crashes was higher in states with stronger GDL programs, than for ones without such GDL programs.
In summary, since the GDL programs started in 1996, all states with GDL programs had fewer fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers, for a total of 1,348. Paradoxically, states with GDL had 1,086 more fatal crashes involving 18-year-old drivers.
“The net associations found in this study represent several possible crash-reducing influences of GDL, including less driving among younger teens; reduced exposure to high-risk conditions, resulting from more driving while supervised by an adult and less driving late at night or with multiple young passengers; and safer driving, resulting from improved learning,” observed the authors of the report.
Masten said in a phone interview that the GDL programs in all but one state do not apply to 18-year-old drivers. He said parents have to enforce the restrictions. “The program won’t work if teenagers are not participating.” He thinks “we need to do more extensive and broader studies for 18-year-old drivers.”
The reason more 18-year-old drivers died is not known. According to the study, “Mandatory periods of supervised driving clearly reduce risk while novices learn how to handle a vehicle, gain insights into the behaviors of other drivers, and develop understanding of the physical driving environment. Supervised driving, however, is co-driving, and some important lessons of experience, such as the need for self-regulation and what it means to be fully responsible for a vehicle, cannot be learned until teens begin driving alone.”
The study concluded that research is needed to determine what accounts for the increased deaths of 18-year-old drivers, and whether this increase occurs for non-fatal crashes as well. This may suggest whether, and how, changes to licensing policies might reduce this association.
“To the extent that some of the positive effects at earlier ages may be blunted, this is a serious issue deserving attention by researchers and policy makers. It is likely that further reductions in crashes involving young drivers can be achieved by strengthening individual components of licensing laws,” said Anne T. McCartt, PhD., and Eric R. Teoh, M.S., of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Arlington, Va., in a press release.
