More teens take to Tennessee’s roads and highways during the summer months, and all motorists face increased risks because of this. Teens pose a threat to other drivers simply because of their lack of experience. However, teen drivers also engage in other dangerous behaviors that increase the chances of car wrecks, injuries and fatalities. Driving with teenage passengers in their vehicles is one such behavior.
Per AAA Newsroom, when teen drivers have teen passengers in their vehicles and then get into crashes, the chances of everyone in those crashes losing their lives increases by 51%.
How teen passengers affect crash and fatality risks
While having a teenage passenger in the vehicle during a crash raises the teen driver’s chance of dying by 45%, the presence of the passenger increases fatality risks even more for those driving or riding in other cars involved in the wreck. The occupants of other cars and trucks involved face a 56% higher chance of dying in a crash. Pedestrians or cyclists involved in such crashes face a 17% higher chance of dying due to the presence of the teenage passenger.
How older passengers affect crash and fatality risks
Research shows that the sheer presence of a passenger is not enough to make teen-involved car crashes more deadly. When teenage drivers drive alongside passengers who are at least 35 and wind up in wrecks, the chances of everyone involved dying in those wrecks decreases by 8%.
Parents of young motorists may be able to lower the chances of their teens getting into fatal crashes by restricting them from driving with other teens in the car until they get more behind-the-wheel experience.
