Should your teen be driving with passengers? Are they putting themselves and their passengers at risk?May 2012 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety published a study finding that, per mile driven,16 and 17-year-old drivers are more likely to be killed in a crash when they have young passengers in their vehicle than when they are driving alone. Their risk was found to increase by an estimated 44% when one passenger under age 21 (and no older passengers) was present in the teen driver’s vehicle, approximately double when two passengers under age 21 were present, and more than quadruple when three or more passengers under age 21 were present. The effect of young passengers on the risk of involvement in any police-reported crash appeared to follow a similar pattern; however, increases in the risk of any police-reported crash were smaller and were not estimated precisely enough to even approach statistical significance. It is clear that discouraging teen drivers from carrying passengers and/or discouraging teenagers from riding with young inexperienced drivers would benefit the safety of teenagers both as drivers and as passengers. If your teen has been involved in an accident and you have questions, please contact us for us for a free consultation.
Ledbetter & Titsworth is proud to serve car accident victims across the NC Triangle including those in Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC, and beyond.
