Factors that Increase the Risk of Crashes

Drinking and driving is a deadly combination for all age groups, but the risk of involvement in an MVC is greater for teens than for older drivers at all levels of blood alcohol concentration.¹ According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5.5 percent of youth in high school reported driving after drinking alcohol. The rate of driving after drinking was higher for boys (6.8%) and older students (the rate was higher among 11th-grade (5.5%) and 12th-grade (8.1%) than 9th-grade (3.2%) and 10th-grade (3.2%) students, respectively.² Being a passenger in a car in which the driver is under the influence also increases the risk of death or injury related to alcohol. The CDC states that over 16 percent of high school students reported that they had ridden in a car driven by someone who had been drinking.³

As more states legalize the use of recreational marijuana, the risk of drug-impaired driving has become a bigger concern. Additionally, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and illegal drugs also pose the risk of causing impairment alone or in combination with each other and/or alcohol. However, the perception of other drugs’ ability to cause impairment is often not as strong as perception around the dangers of alcohol. One study found that a third of all teens surveyed believed it was legal to drive under the influence of marijuana in state. In every state and the District of Columbia, impaired driving is illegal. A quarter of teens admitted that driving under the influence of marijuana is common among their friends.⁴ Whether by drugs—legal or illegal—alcohol, or a combination of both drugs and alcohol, impaired driving puts the driver, their passengers, and other road users at risk.

In 2015, of the 3,183 drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in fatal car crashes, 9 percent (290 drivers) were distracted when the crash occurred.⁵ Distracted driving can involve a number of different activities that take the driver’s full attention from driving. There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual — taking your eyes off the road
• Manual — taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing⁶

Common practices associated with distracted driving include using a cell phone or GPS; eating or drinking; or adjusting audio players. Of those who were distracted, 14 percent were using a cell phone.⁷ According to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), the percent of 16- to 24-year-old drivers using a hand-held cell phone declined to 4.2 percent in 2016. The percent of drivers in this age group manipulating a handheld device, however, increased compared to the last decade to a peak of 4.9 percent in 2015. In 2015, almost four thousand young adults ages 15 to 19 were involved in fatal crashes, 9 percent of which were attributed to distracted driving.⁸ Higher usage of technological devices such as cell phones and less experience multitasking while driving may increase the likelihood that the teen will be distracted.⁹

• their drive to engage in risky situations,
• their desire to please peers, and
• the cost associated with alienating peers.

They also suggest that the act of driving imposes restrictions on how youth can interact with peers who are pressuring them. While the driver is held accountable and legally responsible for what happens when he or she is driving, peers who suggest risky behavior are not held responsible for the consequences that occur. Young drivers also have to deal with the inability to gather visual cues from their peers and understand whether they are serious or joking, the inability to joke around or act unconventionally when they are driving, and the inability to focus on addressing peer pressure because they must attend to driving. A national survey found that 94 percent of teens reported seeing passengers, at least sometimes, acting in ways that would distract the driver: 69 percent indicated that they had witnessed teen passengers acting wildly, 53 percent indicated that they had seen passengers who had been drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, and 45 percent indicated that they had heard passengers urging the driver to speed.¹⁷

Allen and Brown suggest that youth have a higher propensity toward participating in risky behaviors, including those related to driving.¹⁸ Research suggests that teenage drivers are more likely to pull into traffic with less space, make illegal lane changes, maintain less distance between cars, and drive faster.¹⁹ This risky behavior increases with the presence of peers, especially male passengers²⁰ and boys are more likely to be involved in speed-related fatal crashes than girls.²¹ In 2015, 32 percent of 15 to 20-year-old male drivers involved in fatal crashes were reportedly speeding at the time of the crash.. The risk of speeding is higher for youth who have also been drinking. In 2016, 24 percent of youth under 21 and 44 percent of youth 21-24 involved in fatal crashes while speeding had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.²²

Teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use of all age groups.²³ For example, in 2017, nearly 6 percent of high school students reported they rarely or never wore seat belts when riding with someone else. In 2016, 53 percent of the 1,056 youth ages 16 to 20 killed in MVCs were not wearing a seat belt.²⁴ In 2016, 44 percent of young drivers involved in crashes while under the influence were not wearing seat belts, and 58 percent who died were unrestrained.²⁵

There is a higher crash risk associated with driving at night and on the weekends for all drivers, but the risk is even higher for youth.²⁶ In 2016, the highest percent of crashes for teens occurred between 6 and 9 p.m. (16%), 9 p.m. and midnight (18%), and midnight and 3 a.m. (15%).²⁷ Further, the 2016 data suggests that 53 percent of fatal crashes for teens occurred on the weekends; 16 percent of crashes occurred on Friday, 19 percent on Saturday, and 18 percent on Sunday . Limited visual information, fatigue, alcohol use, risk-taking, and the presence of teen passengers in the car all lead to increased crash risk for young drivers.²⁸

A higher number of young drivers are involved in fatal crashes on rural roads compared to urban roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crashes on rural roads represent 50 percent of fatal crashes and 47 percent of fatalities for young drivers.²⁹