Study finds increase in teen driving deaths during summer months in U.S.

Despite the introduction of graduated licencing programs in many American states, an average of eight teens per day were killed during the summer months over the past five years combined, and that trend is likely to continue in the United States, the Insurance Information Institute suggests.

New York-based III released Wednesday some precautions for parents of teen drivers, noting that the period between Memorial Day (May 27) and Labour Day (Sept. 2 in both the U.S. and Canada) is “the most dangerous time of the year for teens to be on the road.”

Citing statistics released in February by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), III noted that in the first six months of 2012, deaths of 16 and 17-year-old drivers were up 19% from the same period in 2011.

Washington, D.C.-based GHSA is comprised of the highway safety offices of the U.S. states, plus their counterparts in Guam, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. Its study, titled Teenage Driver Fatalities By State, was based on data provided by the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

Although the study noted the death rate of 16- and 17-year-olds “remain at much lower levels” than they were 10 years ago, the number of 16-year-old drivers who died rose 24% (from 86 to 107) year-to-year while the number of deaths of 17-year-olds rose 15%, from 116 in the first six months of 2011 to 133 in the same period in 2012.

The report was written by Allan Williams, former chief scientist of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), who noted reductions can be achieved by strengthening the graduated licencing programs.

“There is a need to improve driver education and training programs so that all young beginners can have access to high-quality training,” he wrote. “Additionally, the many programs addressing young drivers should be subjected to scientifically-based evaluation, and resources should be concentrated on those shown to have positive effects.”

In its release Wednesday, III suggested the biggest concern for teenagers is distractions such as eating, talking on cell phones or text messaging. The institute added that some insurance firms are subsidizing the cost of GPS systems and video cameras to help parents monitor the way their teens drive.

In the GHSA report, Williams noted graduated licencing (whereby new drivers have restrictions) was introduced in all states by 2006. According to the report, in 2002, a total of 488 16-year-old drivers died and 635 17-year-old drivers died. Those figures dropped to 157 16-year-olds and 253 17-year olds in 2010.

“The decreases in 16- and 17-year-old driver deaths that occurred from 2003 to 2010 have been attributed to the introduction and strengthening of state graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems that took place throughout this period, and to the economic downturn in 2008-2009, which particularly affected the youngest drivers,” he wrote. “The stoppage and reversal of this downward trend in 2011 and 2012 is presumably related to the partial economic recovery that has taken place.”

Williams referred to a graduated licensing “calculator” from IIHS that estimates the reduction in fatal crashes that would result of all states had the most stringent systems found in the U.S., including a minimum learner permit age of 16, intermediate licensing age of 17, 65 hours of supervised driving a night restriction beginning at 8:00 p.m. and a restriction prohibiting no passengers other than family members.

“By adopting all of the model provisions, states could potentially achieve driver fatal crash reductions ranging from 17% to 63% (average 37%),” he wrote.