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Teen Driver Fatality Risk Quadruples with Multiple Young Passengers

May 13, 2012 Comments off

Teen Driver Fatality Risk Quadruples with Multiple Young Passengers (PDF)
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety today released a study showing a strong association between the number and age of passengers present in-vehicle and the risk of a teen driver dying in a traffic crash.

The report, “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” found that the likelihood of a 16- or 17-year-old driver being killed in a crash, per mile driven, increases with each additional young passenger in the vehicle. Compared to driving with no passengers, a 16- or 17-year-old driver’s fatality risk:

  • Increases 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21 (and no older passengers)
  • Doubles when carrying two passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)
  • Quadruples when carrying three or more passengers younger than 21 (and no older passengers)

    Conversely, carrying at least one passenger aged 35 or older cuts a teen driver’s risk of death by 62 percent, and risk of involvement in any police-reported crash by 46 percent, highlighting the protective influence that parents and other adults have in the car.

  • + Full Report (PDF)

    Nearly Half of Senior Drivers Worry About No Longer Driving, AAA Survey Reveals

    April 9, 2012 Comments off
    Source:  American Automobile Association (AAA)
    Nearly half of senior drivers worry about losing their freedom and mobility when it’s time to give up the car keys, according to a recent survey by the American Automobile Association (AAA).
    Concerned by a loss of mobility, nearly 90 percent of senior drivers indicate that the inability to drive would be a problem, with almost half claiming it a serious problem. “By 2020—just eight years from now—it’s estimated that nearly one in six people will be age 65 or older and most of them will still be licensed to drive,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “No matter how active and healthy seniors are today, it’s evident that anxiety about giving up the keys is still a top concern.”
    Helping to dispel the all-too-common myth that seniors are dangerous drivers, AAA’s survey also indicates that motorists age 65 and older often “self-police” their driving or avoid driving situations that put them at greater risk of a crash.  In fact, 80 percent of senior drivers voluntarily avoid one or more high-risk driving situations. More than half (61 percent) of these drivers avoid driving in bad weather; 50 percent avoid night driving; 42 percent avert trips in heavy traffic and 37 percent avoid unfamiliar roads.

    AAA Senior Driver Survey Report (PDF)

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