Posted Nov 27, 2011
Teen drivers are about 50 percent more likely to crash in the first month of driving than they are after a full year of experience, according to a recent study released by the Automobile Association of America.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety said the study depicted failure to reduce speed, inattention and neglecting to yield the right of way as reasons accounting for 57 percent of all crashes in which teens were at least partially responsible during the first month of operating a vehicle.
The study, which was commissioned through the University of North Carolina Highway and Safety Research Center, indicated crashes involving left hand turns were common during the first few months of driving but declined almost immediately, reflecting teenagers’ initial inexperience followed by rapid learning.
Crash types that decline more slowly appear to result not from lack of understanding, but from failure to master certain driving skills, according to the study.
“We know that young drivers’ crash rates decrease quickly as they gain experience,” said Michael Formanowicz, driver training manager for AAA Western and Central New York. “What our new study tells us is that parents need to stay involved in the learning process even after the law allows teens to drive without a parent in the car.”
The study analyzing crash rates of newly licensed drivers is based on analysis of crashes of young drivers licensed in North Carolina between January 2001 and December 2008.
Another study sponsored by AAA and the university that used vehicle cameras to monitor teens when they were learning to drive with parents, illustrated changes in teen behavior when a parent is no longer in the car, capturing close calls due to simple mistakes likely attributed to inexperience, along with a few instances of texting behind the wheel, horseplay with passengers, running red lights, and other potentially distracting or dangerous behaviors.
©2011 Tonawanda News (North Tonawanda, N.Y.)