Study Explains the Staggering Cost of Insuring Teen Drivers

Ask any parent who has just added a kid to the family’s insurance policy, and they’ll tell you how expensive it is to have a teen behind the wheel. But the overall cost of teen driving is as tragic as it is staggering: According to a recent report from AAA, car accidents involving drivers aged 15 to 17 cost society more than $34 billion in medical expenses, property damage and related costs. 

According to an analysis conducted for AAA, in 2006 drivers ages 15 to 17 were involved in approximately 974,000 crashes that injured 406,427 people and killed 2,541. Here are some more sobering statistics:

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in this age group.

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. Also, per miles driven, teens ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Risk is highest at age 16, and the crash rate per miles driven is twice as high for 16 year olds as it is for 18 and 19 year olds, according to the IIHS.

IIHS statistics show that 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.

Please talk and practice with your teen about safety behind the wheel and on the road

It’s not just “Don’t Drink and Drive” anymore

Don’t drink and drive.  The effects of driving under the influence have been thoroughly studied.  Most of us agree that drinking and driving is a fatal combination.

But did you know that distracted driving can be just as deadly?  5,870 people lost their lives in 2008 due to being distracted, or due to another driver being too distracted to react in time.  In many cases, the at-fault distracted driver didn’t even notice the person they ended up killing!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a study researching distracted driving just this past September.  And guess what?  “Driver distraction was reported to have been involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes…” 

The biggest culprits when it comes to distracted driving are, of course, talking on your cell phone and texting.  But activities such as eating, drinking, reading, talking, putting on makeup, or daydreaming while driving are just as disruptive to your concentration.  A conversation on a hands-free device is a distraction. Even strong emotions like anger or excitement can shift your focus off the road.

Yet, distracted driving, somehow, seems to be acceptable in today’s society.  It seems to be a sign of multitasking, of efficiency, of capability.  It is not.  Distracted driving is causing rising death-tolls.  It is irresponsible towards yourself and others.

To raise awareness of this hot topic, the Department of Transportation hosted a 2-day ‘Distracted Driving Summit’ in Washington D.C. last week.  Senators, scientists and victims spoke up to share facts and stories.  Read about it in the New York Times.

If you don’t believe just how distracting texting while driving can be, play this game by the New York Times.

Please Don’t Text and Drive.