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Home › Articles › Driving › Safety First

Safety First

Trends in Teen Driving

By Kelly Burgess

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Because of a traumatic incident as a young passenger in a car driven by another teen, 20-year-old Lizzie Nimmich of Ellicott City, Md., is a savvier driver than most people twice her age. When she was 14, Nimmich was being driven home from an after-school activity by her 17-year-old sister when they were hit head-on by a pickup truck. Nimmich spent nearly three months in the trauma unit and missed a year of school. "My sister was not speeding, but she was a new driver and she was nervous," says Nimmich. "This was a particularly difficult intersection to see oncoming traffic, and she didn't see the truck. Shortly after our accident, a teen was killed there, and the intersection was reconfigured to make it safer."

That incident changed Nimmich's life in a couple of ways. Her experience in the shock trauma unit made such a powerful impression on her that she is currently studying for her nursing degree at Towson University with an eye toward becoming a trauma nurse. She also became involved as a teen in promoting driving safety for teenagers. She was speaking on the topic of teen driver safety at a World Health Day event when she met Kristin Backstrom, founder of S2W, which stands for Safe, Smart Women. S2W is dedicated to educating female drivers on everything from safe driving practices to essential car care skills, such as how to change a tire and check the oil, to buying a car. Nimmich is now a student advisor for S2W.

Fortunately, Nimmich and Backstrom are not alone in their pursuit of driving information. The general public, including lawmakers, is becoming more and more aware of the seriousness of and need for better driver education.

Legislating Safety
There's no doubt that the statistics on teen drivers are appalling – and terrifying. Here are some of the most current statistics compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS/HLDI).

  • 5,691 teenagers ages 13 to 19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2003. Approximately 2 out of 3 were males.
  • Teenagers accounted for 10 percent of the U.S. population in 2003, but 13 percent of car crash deaths.
  • In 2001, motor vehicle crashes were the No. 1 cause of death among 13- to 19-year-olds.
  • Fifty-nine percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2003 occurred in vehicles driven by another teenager.
  • Among fatally injured drivers ages 16 to 19, belt use in 2003 was as high as or higher than all other drivers.
  • Per mile driven, fatal crash rates in 2001-02 were highest among male drivers 16 and 17 years old and 16-year-old females.
  • Fifty-four percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2003 occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
  • Forty-two percent of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths in 2003 occurred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
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