• 27
  • January
    2012

It's a rite of passage to be able to give your car keys to your teenager, but studies show that if your teen is driving with other teens in the car, the likelihood of a car accident increases.

I think we can all attest to taking risks as a teenager, but studies now prove what we knew all along. While driving, teenagers engage in risky behavior such as talking on their cellphones, texting, speeding and being easily distracted by the passengers in the car. New evidence now supports that the riskiest behavior is having another teen in the car.

The study was conducted by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance. As part of this research, a group of teenagers were put together who had been involved in a serious car accident and they were asked what they were doing right before the accident. A majority of the teens said that they were distracted or engaged in risky behavior with other teens prior to the accident.

The study also found that there is a big discrepancy between male and female drivers before a crash. Males with passengers in the car were six times more likely to illegally drive the car and twice as likely to drive aggressively compared to when they were driving alone. Female drivers were not driving aggressively before a crash and it didn't matter if there were passengers in the car or not.

Many states have adopted restrictions on teens with passengers and they include:

  • When a teen first gets their license, for the first six months they are not allowed to drive with any other person in the car unless it is an immediate family member.
  • During the second six months, the teen can't drive with more than one passenger in the vehicle, who is less than 21 years of age, unless it is a family member.
  • After one year, teens are prohibited from driving with more than three passengers in the vehicle who are less than 21 years of age, unless they are family members.
  • All restrictions are lifted when a driver turns 18 if they have had no major traffic violations in the last 12 months.

Studies like this point out how important it is for parents to promote safe driving behaviors and limit the number of passengers a teen can have in the car. It will help save lives.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Risky business: Teens driving with other teens," Joel Provano, Jan. 24, 2012