WASHINGTON — For generations, teenagers have been the most dangerous drivers on the road, crashing almost four times as often as older drivers. A study released Tuesday quantifies for the first time in a decade how their risk of a fatal crash multiplies when they have other teenagers in the car.
It increases by almost half when a 16- or 17-year-old driver has one teenage passenger; it doubles with two teen passengers; and it quadruples with three or more young passengers.
Using federal fatality statistics, the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety compiled the data, which supports parents who have forbidden their teenage children from driving with teen passengers.
“We know that carrying young passengers is a huge risk, but it’s also a preventable one,” said AAA foundation president Peter Kissinger. “These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer immediately by refusing to allow them to get in the car with other young people, whether they’re behind the wheel or in the passenger seat.”
