Teen Driver Safety and Awareness

It's a somber and sobering fact, but a true one nonetheless.

In 2009,  5,338 teens were killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States.

-National Highway Safety Patrol

However, that figure is the lowest it had been in 10 years. In 2001, over 6,200 teens were killed in motor vehicle accidents, and the numbers declined from there over the next few year. So, are efforts in recent years to keep teen drivers safe working? And what else can we do to prevent motor vehicle deaths in our youngest group of drivers?

Teen drivers represent the 3rd largest age group of those that become victims in motor vehicle accidents

In the past decade, every U.S. State has made some effort to protect teen drivers on the road. Most states adopted tougher licensing systems starting in the mid 1990's requiring more supervised hours on the road and imposing more restrictions on new drivers.

And the tactic seems to be working. One study from the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) shows that states with stricter driving laws have 30% fewer motor vehicle fatalities in drivers 15-17 years old.

But what else should state laws consider? Many advocates for teen driver safety push for changing the licensing age from 17 or 16 in some states, to 18 as European countries do.

The bottom line is that when we look at the research, raising the driving age saves lives."

-Adrian Lund, President of the IIHS.

However, no U.S. state has yet adopted a minimum driving age of 18. Some states, however, have adopted systems where drivers earn gradual licensing privileges as they get older. The CDC has found consistently that graduated drivers license programs effectively reduce the risk of teen crashes and deaths.

Other recent advances in technology have helped as well. While education and awareness is typically the most successful method, increased parental monitoring is also proving to be beneficial. Now, mobile teen GPS devices are available and are used to track teen drivers' actions behind the wheel. A small GPS tracking device is installed in the vehicle and alerts parents when their teen driver has exceeded the speed limit, driven past curfew or left the route in which they were approved to drive. While many teens, expectantly, find this technology to hinder their freedom and independence as new drivers, it is taking parents and auto insurance companies by storm.

Other efforts? Today in an article by AOL Autos, Susan Kessler was featured as the advocate for Teen Tags on vehicles. Teen Tags are rubber, magnetic tags that attach to a vehicle donning with the words, "CAUTION, Newly Licensed Driver".

The purpose of Teen Tags is to make other drivers aware that they are driving near an inexperienced driver, so they will hopefully create a protective bubble around the new driver. Like Teen GPS devices, Teen Tags aren't too popular with the teens themselves, but given the horrific statistics above, most parents do not seem to mind.

All in all, efforts in state legislature, advancing technology and parental advocates for Teen Tags and other products, seem to be aiding in the decline of teenage death rates on the open road. As awareness increases I only hope that the spike we saw in teenage motor vehicle accident deaths in 2001 is one we will never see again.

Parents, do you have any tips for teen safety? Please share any ideas with our readers.