The Dangers of Teenage Passengers
Becoming a licensed driver as a teenager can be an empowering experience. However, suddenly being able to drive may also mean becoming the neighborhood taxi. But before young motorists let their friends pile into their car, they should fully understand the risks associated with driving with passengers their age. There is an alarmingly higher chance of being involved in an accident when there are more teens in the car, and that can mean not only higher insurance rates but also the potential for injury.
Numerous studies have shown that drivers between the age of 16 and 19 are especially prone to distraction while driving. Smartphones and social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter only add to the number of distractions that younger motorists face. When another teen is added to a vehicle, however, this risk increases. The fatality risk for drivers between 16 and 17 is 3.6 times higher when there are other people in the car, according to the California DMV. This risk also increases for each additional passenger.
Filling a car with friends for a joyride is rarely worth the risk. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) pointed out in testimony to Maryland legislators that 16- and 17-year-old drivers’ fatal crash rate nearly triples when three or more passengers are in the car compared with when there are no passengers present.
“The reason is obvious,” the IIHS stated. “Teenage passengers create distractions for drivers who are inexperienced to start with and who need to be paying full attention to the driving task.”
Other IIHS studies have shown that young drivers who have other teens in the car can get peer-pressured into taking unnecessary risks.
Unfortunately for newly licensed teens, insurance companies are well aware of younger drivers’ crash statistics and charge accordingly. Having a greater accident potential means being a high risk driver, and people who likely to file a claim are met with steeper premiums. One trend that could help combat high crash rates and prices of Vehicle insurance for teenagers is the increasing prevalence of graduated driver licensing programs (GDLs).
Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Passenger Restrictions
In many states, young drivers under 18 are required to follow GDL restrictions before becoming officially licensed. These restrictions include a minimum permit age, a minimum number of practice hours, limitations on nighttime driving, and a restriction on the number of passengers allowed in the car. Studies conducted by the IIHS have shown that states with stricter guidelines have an estimated 20 percent fewer collision claims for 16 year olds.
The GDL laws in 16 states require that beginning drivers have no teen passengers in the car, and still others set the limit at one or two. Six states still have no passenger restrictions, however.
Even in states with looser GDL requirements, younger drivers can decrease their accident potential if they self-impose a few limitations. For example, young drivers in Florida have no restrictions on the number of passengers they can carry. But, according to the IIHS, by not allowing any passengers in the vehicle, collision potential would drop statewide by an estimated 5 percent, and fatal accident potential would drop by roughly 21 percent.