New teen drivers three times more likely than adults to be involved in deadly crashes

New teen drivers, those ages 16-17, are three times more likely than adults to be involved in a deadly crash, says a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

So far this year, 112 fatalities involving a teen driver in Georgia have been recorded by the state Department of Transportation, according to a AAA news release.

Nationwide, the number of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes increased more than 10 percent from the previous year, according to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The findings come at the start of the “100 Deadliest Days.” This is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when crashes involving teens generally jump by 15 percent, according to AAA.

Moreover, more than 1,600 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the past five years, AAA says.

“During the summer months we see more teens on our roadways, likely due to the excitement surrounding no school and more time to spend with friends,” Garrett Townsend, AAA Georgia spokesman, said in the release. “The foundation’s research found that inexperience paired with greater exposure on the road create a deadly combination for teen drivers.”

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s study — “Rates of Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in Relation to Driver Age” — analyzed crash rates per mile driven for all drivers.

The study found that for every mile on the road, drivers ages 16-17 were:

▪ 3.9 times as likely as drivers 18 and older to be involved in a crash;

▪ 2.6 times as likely as drivers 18 and older to be involved in a fatal crash;

▪ 4.5 times as likely as drivers ages 30-59 to be involved in a crash;

▪ 3.2 times as likely as drivers ages 30-59 to be involved in a fatal crash;

Three factors that often result in deadly crashes for teen drivers include distracted driving, failure to wear seat belts and speeding, according to AAA.

Distraction is a factor in nearly six out of 10 teen crashes — four times as many as official estimates based on police reports, AAA reports. This includes talking to other passengers in the vehicle and using a smart phone.

About 60 percent of teen drivers killed in a crash in 2015 were not wearing a safety belt, while speeding is a factor in nearly 30 percent of fatal crashes involving teen drivers, according to AAA.

AAA urges parents to talk with their teens often about distracted driving and speeding, to drive by example with good driving habits and to forge a parent-teen driving agreement that sets rules for safe driving.

“Parents are the front line of defense in keeping our roads safer this summer,” Matt Nasworthy, a traffic safety consultant for AAA, said in the release. “It all starts with educating teens about safety on the road and modeling good driving behaviors like staying off the phone and always buckling up.”

Additionally, Georgia teens can apply online for a Driver’s Education Grant Scholarship that provides vouchers for state-approved driving courses.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 12:15 PM with the headline "New teen drivers three times more likely than adults to be involved in deadly crashes."