It is no secret that in-vehicle cellphone use is a key contributor to many teen driver-involved car wrecks across Connecticut. However, other factors, too, play a role in how likely a teen-involved car crash is and how deadly it may prove to be. Studies show that teen drivers who drive with teenage passengers create serious crash and fatality risks for not only themselves but for everyone involved in a wreck.
According to AAA Newsroom, teen drivers pose a threat to the motoring public because they lack the experience that older motorists have. However, when driver inexperience and teenage passengers are both factors, the risks become even more pronounced.
How teen passengers impact fatal crash risks
Studies show that when teen passengers are in the cars of teenage drivers and those drivers get into wrecks, the teen passenger’s presence in the car raises the risk of death for everyone involved by 51%. Those most at risk of dying in a teen driver-involved wreck with a teen passenger present are those who drive or ride in other cars not driven by the teenager. These individuals are 56% more likely to die in the crash because of the teen passenger’s presence.
How older passengers impact fatal crash risks
When teen drivers have others riding in their cars who are at least 35 and get into wrecks, the presence of the passenger actually cuts fatality risks for everyone involved by 8%.
It is evident that the presence of a teen passenger, and not the presence of a passenger, in general, heightens crash risks. Therefore, parents of teenage drivers may want to limit their young drivers from driving with other teens until they get more experience behind the wheel.
