Teen Driver Safety Week

Teens represent 7 percent of drivers but are involved in 13 percent of all fatal crashes because they often are not prepared for the very real and potentially deadly risks they face on the roadway.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens. In fact, teenagers are killed more often on the road than any other age group. From 1999 to 2003, Minnesota traffic crashes took 236 teen lives — eclipsing the combined death total of the next four leading causes of death.

The problem is worst among 16-year-olds, who have the least driving experience and who often engage in risk-taking behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, teens who make poor choices while driving often experience tragic outcomes because they are the least likely to buckle up. We need to help teens make safer choices and ultimately reduce the risk to Minnesota’s youngest drivers.

> Failing to wear a seat belt - each year, 75 percent of teens killed in vehicles are not buckled up. Properly wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by approximately 50 percent.

>Distraction - text messaging, cell phones, eating, grooming and talking with other passengers increases the risk of being involved in a crash.

> Excessive speed - illegal/unsafe speed is the most common contributing factor in single vehicle crashes for drivers - Teens particularly have difficulty adjusting speed to driving conditions.
 

> Fatigue - a person who has been awake for 24 hours experiences impairment nearly equal to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 percent. Teens often don’t get enough sleep.
 

> Driving at night - mile for mile, 16- and 17-year-olds are about three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash at night than during the day.